Last photos of Richard Chamberlain before he died

Richard Chamberlain had years of therapy, going through various spiritual-raising experiences as well, to help him find his identity. No matter what, he was brave and showed great courage in coming out, especially at the age of almost 70 years old.

Made a decision before his death

Chamberlain never regretted hiding his sexuality to protect his career.

”I would have been a happier person being out of the closet and being free,” he admitted in one of his final interviews with El Pais in 2024. ”But I had other motives that made me happy. I was a working actor and for me, that was most important.”

However, Hollywood’s relative tolerance allowed Chamberlain to date men openly. In the 1970s, he was romantically involved with actor Wesley Eure.

In 1977, Chamberlain began a long-term relationship with actor and producer Martin Rabbett, who, like Eure, was 20 years his junior. Rabbett played the brother of Chamberlain’s lead character in the 1986 film Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. The couple moved in together in Hawaii in 1986, where they held a private commitment ceremony. They remained together until 2010, when they separated amicably, with Chamberlain relocating to Los Angeles.

In a 2014 interview, Chamberlain shared that while he and Rabbett were no longer romantically involved, they remained close friends. “We don’t live together anymore, and we’re much better friends than we’ve ever been,” Chamberlain explained. “So I’m in the business of advising people who are married, etc., to get another house.”

But according to his New York Times obituary, Chamberlain and Rabbett had resumed living together in Hawaii before his death. Rabbett was considered to be his ”only immediate survivor.”