Rock Hudson's lover speaks out: how we kept our gay live secret...

At the height of his fame in the early '60s, few people were closer to Rock Hudson than Lee Garlington, who dated the actor from 1962 to 1965.

"He was a sweetheart," says Garlington, 77, a retired stockbroker. "I adored him."

Thirty years after Hudson's death from AIDS-related causes on Oct. 2, 1985, at age 59, Garlington and others who knew Hudson closely – including Dr. Michael Gottlieb, the immunologist who cared for Hudson after he was diagnosed with AIDS, his business manager, Wallace Sheft, and his Pillow Talk costar Doris Day – share their intimate memories of the friend they loved and lost in this week's issue of PEOPLE.

CONTINUE...