Today is the birthday of the sequined pianist and entertainer LIBERACE (d: 1987). A lovely man, he was, alas, as closeted as they come, despite his parade of “drivers,” “assistants” and “protégés.” Born in Wisconsin, Lee was a product of his generation. All I can offer — as someone who worked with him at one time as his publicist — is that when he found out we were born on the same day, he gave me a “diamond” the size of a small egg. I treasure it to this day. A bio-pic of Lee’s life, Behind the Candelabra was directed by Steven Soderbergh, with Michael Douglas playing Liberace and Matt Damon playing his lover/chauffeur, Scott Thorsen. Liberace died of AIDS in 1987.