Ken Trainor writes a good, sensitive review of Rent [‘Rent’ entertains and unsettles, the perfect Bohemian mix, LifeLines, Nov. 30], but he really should update his readers on one crucial fact: Jonathan Larson did not die of AIDS. He died of an aortic aneuryrism, and, unfortunately, it happened the night before the show opened in previews, off-Broadway, at the New York Theater Workshop on East 4th Street in New York City’s East Village. Though, obviously, Larson saw the show in rehearsals, he tragically didn’t live to see it performed before a live, paying audience. Otherwise, this was an intriguing, thoughtful review. Ken’s mom has good judgment, too.
Ivan Webster
New York
Editor’s note: As several readers noted, we fell for a persistent “urban myth” about Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s death. Because AIDS is a central component of the musical, many have assumed his death was caused by AIDS. The aortic aneurysm that caused his death on Jan. 25, 1996 may have resulted Marfan Syndrome, according to one Internet source, which described him as “heterosexual and HIV negative.” Larson died 10 days short of his 36th birthday and hours short of the show’s opening night off-Broadway. We regret perpetuating the misinformation.