He called Liberace both generous and possessive. Tom Petty said, "I was trying to get him out of the corner over there, because he always saw himself as a sideman—"I'm a Sidebreaker"—and he tried to stay over to the side. In 2002, Thorson was interviewed by Larry King on Larry King Live, during which Thorson confirmed that, in the midst of his relationship with Liberace, he chose to have plastic surgery to look more like Liberace at the pianist's suggestion. Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright, Celebrities Interesting Facts By Nationality, Celebrities Interesting Facts By Profession. [2] Liberace continued to deny that he was homosexual, and during court depositions in 1984, he insisted that Thorson was never his lover. [19], Thorson did not do well on probation. When we put the band Iggy and the Stooges back together, I asked him if he wanted to play with us, and he said, 'Sure,' and the rest is history. [2], In 2000, Thorson was among several people featured in the British television documentary Liberace: Too Much of a Good Thing Is Wonderful. Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, "Interview with Scott Thorson (Transcript)", "Local News in Brief: Liberace Companion Held", "Liberace's Former Lover Details Secret Romance", "LIBERACE'S EX-LOVER SCOTT THORSON IN HIS FIRST JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW", Liberace had last laugh on critics by 'crying all the way to the bank', "Depression 2.0: Sunday in Kerouac Alley", "Matt Damon looking forward to playing Liberace's lover in upcoming biopic", "Douglas, Damon starring in HBO's Liberace biopic", "Liberace's Ex-Lover Claims Gay Affair With Jackson", "EXCLUSIVE: Inside Scott Thorson's Cancer Battle", "Liberace's Alleged Ex-Lover in Washoe County Jail", "Liberace's Ex-Lover Scott Thorson Sentenced To 5 Years Probation After Using Stolen Credit Cards", "Liberace's lover Scott Thorson sentenced to prison", "Former Liberace lover Scott Thorson living at Bunny Ranch", "The Wonderland murders and the Liberace connection", "Lovers of the Rich and Famous: Scott Thorson", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_Thorson&oldid=967898072, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 July 2020, at 00:20. [citation needed], A year after Liberace's death, Thorson published a book about their relationship, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace. When Thorson was 18, Liberace hired him to act as his personal friend and companion, a position that allegedly included a five-year romantic relationship with lavish gifts, travel, and Liberace's promises that he would adopt and care for Thorson. [2] Thorson stated that following his plastic surgery, the surgeon provided for him a cocktail of highly addictive drugs that included cocaine, Quaaludes, biphetamines, and Demerol. Raised in Medford, Oregon, Thurston started out as a session musician. Thorson also claimed that it was Liberace that originally started him on the drugs, but then when his habit got out of control, Liberace cut him off from all of his credit cards. He's just a very good musician."[1]. Thorson was found to be using the credit cards and was arrested. James Williamson of Iggy and the Stooges has said, "I was over at Capitol Records and as I was going out I was watching this guy recording and it was Scott Thurston with this other band. Scott Thorson (born January 23, 1959, La Crosse, Wisconsin) is an American known for his relationship with and lawsuit against the entertainer Walter "Lee" Liberace. [17][18] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years' probation in July 2013. history. Liberace claimed that he had "more mink coats and diamonds than Elizabeth Taylor". [16], In February 2013, police investigating a lost wallet tracked the use of the victim's credit cards to a hotel in Reno, Nevada. Also during the interview with King, Thorson revealed his chin implant had been removed earlier in 2002. Since 2008, he has had multiple criminal convictions and has been an inmate in the Nevada Department of Corrections system since January 2014. [citation needed] Throughout their lawsuit, Thorson stated that Liberace referred to him in the media as a disgruntled employee, a liar, a gold digger, and claimed that there was never a sexual relationship between them. He is currently a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sings harmony vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. He is currently a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sings harmony vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. [10], Previously diagnosed with hepatitis C, in the autumn of 2012, Thorson was diagnosed with stage II cancer. He was arrested on November 19, 2013, after violating a court order to enter an inpatient treatment facility in Reno two weeks earlier. When we're fighting or have some cliqueishness, he's good at getting in there and saying, "Let's look at it this way," because Duckhead, as we call him, is neutral. Thurston played rhythm guitar, keyboards, harmonica, and sang backing vocals. [20] Thorson was incarcerated in Northern Nevada Correctional Center, in Carson City,[citation needed], and is currently completing his term in unsupervised custody in residential confinement, with a scheduled release date of September 3, 2022. -Interview with Scott Thorson [TV Series]. "[2], Learn how and when to remove this template message, You Don't Want My Name... You Want My Action, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_Thurston&oldid=976303314, BLP articles lacking sources from March 2015, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 September 2020, at 07:30. [11], In the Canada–US television film Liberace: Behind the Music (1988), Thorson was portrayed by Michael Dolan. Prior to that he was also a member of the Chas Sandford Group. Scott played almost all the guitar. [3], Following his release from prison in 2012, Thorson gave interviews about his relationship with Liberace, one with Howard Stern, in June 2013, in which he talked about former lovers and affairs he had when he lived with Liberace. In September 2013, he tested positive for methamphetamine, but was given another chance. Scott Thorson (born January 23, 1959, La Crosse, Wisconsin)[1] is an American known for his relationship with and lawsuit against the entertainer Walter "Lee" Liberace. A teenaged Thorson met Liberace in 1976 through his romantic friendship with dancer Bob Street (a friend of Hollywood producer Ray Arnett) who was staging Liberace's shows in Vegas. [8], In 1982, after he was let go by Liberace,[9] Thorson filed a $113 million lawsuit against Liberace,[10][3] part of which was a palimony suit. [3][15] After his diagnosis, and before his health care became the responsibility of the Nevada Department of Corrections in January 2014, Thorson made public pleas for money to continue his medical treatments. After a few years of living and working in Poland, I returned to the UK to take a PhD in Contemporary Poetry and Poetics at Edge Hill. (2013). [14], In 1989, Thorson emerged as a pivotal witness in the prosecution of gangster Eddie Nash, in the 1981 quadruple murders of the Wonderland Gang. [citation needed], In 2008, Thorson pleaded guilty to felony drug and burglary charges and was sentenced to four years in prison. [4], According to Thorson, their committed relationship ended because of Liberace's promiscuous behavior and Thorson's drug addiction. Thorson had planned in 2012 to re-release the book Behind the Candelabra to coincide with the film's release. [13] The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, with music by Academy Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch. BIOGRAPHY I did my first degree in English Literature with Linguistics at the University of East Anglia, graduating in 1995. Thurston later became a professional songwriter, penning tunes for (and sometimes with) Jackson Browne, Iggy Pop, and The Motels. [21], Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, paid Thorson's $125,000 bail in 2013.[22]. He has played with Jackson Browne (1986 to 1998), The Cult (1991), Melissa Etheridge, Glenn Frey, Hokus Pokus, Iggy And The Stooges (as part of the band from 1973 to 1974, and recordings with Iggy Pop in 1975, 1977 and 1979), Jump (1971; organ & lead vocals), Nils Lofgren, The Motels, Ron Asheton's The New Order, Bonnie Raitt, and John Trudell.