Liberace was one of the kindest and nicest people you could ever meet. Kind to a fault, he unfortunately often let people knowingly, and willingly, take advantage of him. He once said that whenever he cooked dinner for his "friends", they would look to see if a diamond from his rings fell into the sauce. Even though he said it jokingly, it certainly wasn't a joke a naive man would make, but rather someone who tried to see the good in everybody, even when there was no good to see. For that reason, most people were under the impression he would agree with just about anybody, and that he would put up with just about anything. They were clearly mistaken as he had his own definite viewpoints and ideas that he simply chose not to share with the general public.
My family was blessed to know the private Liberace, and the shy, reserved, conservative, deeply faith-filled man behind closed doors was the complete opposite of the man on stage who was there to entertain, and to fill the void in his heart with the applause and love of the audience. The image was one thing and the human being was another, but he was able to combine and then separate both with unparalleled mastery. This video shows a rare outspoken public moment of the man as he explains how he feels about imitators, including his own.
Contrary to the old adage, imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery; it's stealing one's originality and uniqueness, and often making a mockery of one's talent. There's certainly nothing flattering about that. Liberace, as he himself would admit, was influenced by several pianists growing up, but there's a huge difference in being influenced by a performer, and trying to be that person.
Liberace used his God-given talent to bring joy and pleasure to his audience, and he deserved to bear the fruit of his labor of love. He worked hard to create an image that has entertained people all over the world. He left behind a treasure chest of recordings and videos for all of us to enjoy, and even though he made some mistakes along the way like we all do, he remained true to himself, and a true original. Uniqueness in an individual cannot be recreated, and even if you can try to duplicate the body or voice (often with embarrassing results), you could never duplicate the soul.
The world lost a bright light on February 4th, 1987, but Heaven gained one of its brightest stars. Dear Walter/Lee, I am because you were. I love you.
- Mona Lisa