Arthur Ashe(1943-1993)
- Actor
- Writer
Arthur Ashe grew up in segregated Richmond, Virgina where he decided to
make a career out of tennis where he won his first U.S. Open in 1968,
the first ever won by a black player. Ashe firmly established his
stardom in 1975 after beating Jimmy Connors to take the Wimbledon
title. As a tennis professional, he won three Grand Slam singles titles
and led the U.S. to four Davis Cup victories. Over his career he won 33
singles tournaments on five continents. A sudden heart attack in 1979
ended his playing career where he underwent quadruple bypass surgery
and then double bypass surgery in 1983 where he contracted AIDS from
tainted blood during the surgery. Ashe kept his illness a secret until
a newspaper leaked the story in early 1992 where he finally admited
that he had AIDS and became an outspoken advocate for more research
funding and created the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS.
He died just two days after completing his memoirs "Days of
Grace."
