Scott Thorson: Valentino Liberace's ex-lover and key Wonderland Murders witness dies at 65 after cancer battle

Thorson, who had been battling cancer and heart disease, died at a Los Angeles healthcare facility where he was receiving care.

Thorson, who later changed his name to Jess Marlow, became widely known in 1982 after filing a high-profile $113 million palimony lawsuit against Liberace. The lawsuit attracted substantial media attention as Liberace, a celebrated pianist and entertainer, denied being gay and insisted in court that Thorson was never his lover.

The case was eventually settled in 1986, with Thorson receiving $75,000 in cash, three cars, and three dogs valued at $20,000. Liberace passed away the following year from complications related to HIV/AIDS.

In 1988, Scott Thorson wrote a memoir called Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, where he detailed his six-year relationship with the entertainer. Thorson claimed that Liberace paid for plastic surgeries to make him look like a younger version of the star.

Thorson also took part in Liberace’s Las Vegas shows by driving him onto the stage in a sparkly outfit. However, their relationship fell apart as Thorson became more addicted to drugs, which he partly blamed on the medications he received after the surgeries.

Behind the Candelabra was later adapted into a critically acclaimed HBO film of the same name, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Thorson.

Thorson became even more infamous due to his involvement in the trial of Eddie Nash, a nightclub owner and drug dealer accused of organising the 1981 Wonderland Murders. These brutal killings happened in a house on Wonderland Avenue in Laurel Canyon after residents of the house had robbed Nash, injuring one of his bodyguards.

John Holmes, a porn star with a drug addiction, had visited Nash's home several times that day, raising Nash’s suspicions. Nash allegedly had his associates question Holmes, who was reportedly beaten and threatened until he revealed who the thieves were. Thorson testified that he witnessed Holmes being tortured while he was at Nash's house to buy drugs.

Two days after the robbery, a group of men entered the Wonderland house armed with hammers and metal pipes, brutally killing Ron Launius, William "Billy" Deverell, Joy Miller, and Barbara Richardson. Susan Launius survived the attack. Although Thorson testified that Nash planned the murders, the trial ended in a hung jury, and Nash was never convicted. Nash died in 2014. After the trial, Thorson claimed he entered the federal witness protection programme and changed his name.

The Wonderland Murders have been portrayed in popular culture, including a scene in the film Boogie Nights. The case is also the subject of a new four-part docuseries titled The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood, directed by Alison Ellwood, which premieres on MGM+ on September 8. This series is based on a 2022 Audible podcast that featured Thorson and author Michael Connelly.

Thorson struggled with substance abuse throughout his life and had several run-ins with the law. In 2008, he was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to drug and burglary charges.