Las Vegas local, national HIV/AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent dies
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegan Hydeia Broadbent was born with HIV which put her on an early path to fight the stigma that surrounded the virus. Broadbent passed away Tuesday. She was 39.
Her father, Loren Broadbent, wrote on social media that she passed away unexpectedly.
… Hydeia spent her whole life since the age of five showing us all how to love, fight, and speak up for those affected with HIV and AIDS. And as much as I wish she was still here fighting the great fight, God called her home…
Loren Broadbent
Broadbent was a well-spoken young child when she began doing television interviews trying to educate people about the challenges she faced because she had HIV. Hydeia just wanted to be treated normally, like any other kid. She talked about it tearfully with basketball superstar Magic Johnson during a special television program when she was 7. She also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and spoke at the 1996 Republican Convention.
She was a public voice spreading information on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and was the first Black youth to speak out about the virus. Over the years, she was recognized for her efforts to educate the public and change attitudes.
Broadbent was adopted after she was abandoned at University Medical Center as an infant. She was diagnosed with HIV at 3 years old and doctors did not believe she would live more than a few years.
Hydeia Broadbent and Magic Johnson during Coca Cola Presents the 2006 Essence Music Festival – Day 3 at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage) The 2000 Martin Luther King Jr. Marade, Denver Hydeia Broadbent, who was born HIV positive, (from Las Vegas, age 15) spoke to the crowd in City Park. Behind her is Michael Hancock. She was the Grand Marshall of the Marade. (Photo By Lyn Alweis/The Denver Post via Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 10: International Activist Hydeia Broadbent attends the Black Women Ending HIV event at Bardot Restaurant on January 10, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images) AIDS advocate Hydeia Broadbent, middle, during AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s third community forum in a nationwide series on “AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue” at Holman United Methodist Church, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Los Angeles. The forum series highlights the continued disproportionate impact of hIV/AIDS on African-American and Latino communities in the US, and included events in Mississippi, Texas, California and Louisiana. (Bret Hartman/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation) NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Activist Hydeia Broadbent (2nd L) poses with guests at the Red Pump Project Event Raising HIV/AIDS Awareness at Time Life Building on March 10, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage) PALM SPRINGS, CA – FEBRUARY 11: Hydeia Broadbent at the 18th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards at the Palm Springs Convention Center on February 11, 2012 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/WireImage)
Magic Johnson paid tribute to her with a post on X saying he was devastated by the news of her death.
…By speaking out at such a young age, she helped so many people, young and old, because she wasn’t afraid to share her story and allowed everyone to see that those living with HIV and AIDS were everyday people and should be treated with respect. Thanks to Hydeia, millions were educated, stigmas were broken, and attitudes about HIV/AIDs were changed. We will miss her powerful voice in this world…
Magic Johnson
No information on a memorial or funeral has been released at this time. A GoFundMe account was created by Broadbent’s father to help pay for his daughter’s funeral.
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