35 Years of People
1974 to Now: PEOPLE's Biggest Stories
Celebrate our 35th anniversary with the newsmakers (Princess Diana! President Obama!) who shocked, moved and warmed the hearts of readers over the years
More from PEOPLE
1988: AIDS ANGEL
A hemophiliac, Ryan White contracts AIDS at age 12 from tainted blood-clotting products and goes on to become the innocent face (and fierce advocate) of a "sinful" plague. "If I were worried about dying, I'd die," he said before succumbing to the illness at 18 in 1990.
Read the full story in PEOPLE's Archive.
