Passion or Profession: singer, AIDS activist

Period: 1951–1989

Lutaaya was born in Uganda, but some of his greatest musical influences were rock musicians like Elvis Presley and John Lennon (Lutaaya even named one of his children John Lennon Kabogoza). After years of getting small gigs in nightclubs, Lutaaya finally hit the big time in the late 1980s with his album Born in Africa. Soon after, he announced that he was HIV-positive and began campaigning for better programs to stop the spread of the then poorly understood disease. He died in 1989 but is still hailed as a hero for his efforts.