SHE HAD TO HAVE IT –
Feb. 16, 2026 – Long-term HIV survivor Sherri Lewis, 71, recounts the journey of a lifetime—from Top 40 pop singer to wise storyteller.
I am now 71. I’m in disbelief and proud to have made it to this age. I’ve counted days, months, years and hours just to cope with the death sentence I was handed in 1987 when I was diagnosed HIV positive on my 33rd birthday, weeks before —my wedding day. By 1987, I had already had, as Warhol would say, my 15 minutes of fame. While I wasn’t famous, I was always popular—and talented. At 5 years old, I was on the TV show Romper Room and other kiddie shows. And by 1979, my dreamboat bisexual boyfriend Zecca and I had a band, Get Wet. I was the lead singer with the stage name Sherri Beachfront, complete with a beach-ball pocketbook and an endless supply of Betsey Johnson colored crinolines, bustiers, gloves and windowpane tights! This was New York City, in the dangerous and colorful East Village. Lou Reed was in the house at our first gig at Max’s Kansas City and asked us to open for him at Columbia University. We did! What a magical time! What I wouldn’t give for that energy now—and to jump around nonstop in very high heels!
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