Peter Allen (musician)

Peter Allen (born Peter Richard Woolnough; 10 February 1944 – 18 June 1992) was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer, known for his flamboyant stage persona, boundless energy, and lavish costumes. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1981. In addition to recording many albums, he enjoyed a cabaret and concert career, including appearances at the Radio City Music Hall riding a camel. His patriotic song “I Still Call Australia Home”, has been used extensively in advertising campaigns, and was added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.[1]

Allen was the first husband of Liza Minnelli. They married in 1967, separated in 1969 and were divorced in 1974.[2] He had a long-term partner, model Gregory Connell (1949-1984). They were together from 1974 until Connell’s death in 1984.[3][4][5] Allen and Connell died from AIDS-related illnesses eight years apart, with Allen becoming one of the first well-known Australians to die from AIDS. Allen remained ambiguous about his sexuality in that he did not pretend to be straight after divorcing Minnelli, but never publicly came out as gay either.[6] Despite Allen’s outgoing persona, he was an intensely private man who shared little about his personal life even with those close to him. Few people knew he had HIV/AIDS, partly in fear of alienating his conservative, heterosexual fans and thinking audiences would not want to see a performer they knew was sick.[6] In 1998, a musical about his life, The Boy from Oz debuted in Australia. It ran on Broadway and earned Hugh Jackman a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.