R.I.P. ~ Liberace Museum

This past February I was in Las Vegas and was just about to pass on visiting the Liberace Museum when I found out that it had been a highlight for my ex-David when he had been there. So I went ahead and visited and it was a hoot! Well, glad I did as it has now closed as of today. Please see below for the full details. It was quite a ride and below is the ring I got there!
A museum dedicated to one of the most flamboyant entertainers in modern history quietly closed Sunday - the victim of too little money and too long of a wait for a movie that might have saved it.

The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas shut its doors after 31 years. According to the Las Vegas Sun, there was no splashy send off, just a long line of mournful fans. It was a rare full parking lot for the museum, which celebrates the life of what one commentator recently called "the King of Bling."

Liberace died in 1987 at the age of 67 after a long run as one of the pioneers of the long-term engagement in Las Vegas that has made many entertainers fabulously wealthy in a kind of suspended retirement.

The board of the Liberace Foundation had announced last month that it would pull the plug because sparse crowds were draining money from a scholarship fund set up to help young musicians.

While some Liberace loyalists were unhappy about plans for an upcoming Liberace biopic, there had been hope that the film would introduce new generations to the over-the-top pianist. The controversy came about because of reports the film would focus on Liberace's homosexuality and his attempts to keep it out of the media.

Michael Douglas was the play the entertainer, with Matt Damon as the man who claimed to be his longtime companion. The film, to be directed by Stephen Soderbergh ("Oceans 11," "Traffic"). Originally announced in 2008, the film has been delayed by other projects and Douglas's health issues. Variety recently quoted Damon as saying he hoped filming would start in the summer of 2011 with a release date in 2012.

The Las Vegas Sun said outgoing museum director Tanya Combs, a 10-year employee, felt that closing the museum was like losing a family member, while visitors were quoted as saying it was another lost link the Las Vegas's flashier heyday of showgirls and big production shows with lots of costumes and glitz.

The Sun reported tour guide Stephen Mathis wore a sequined vest, piano-key tie and a half-dozen oversized Liberace-styled rings, used one word to describe his feelings: “Devastated.”

The entertainer, whose full name was Wladziu Valentino Liberace, was one of the top earning personalities in the 1950s through 1970s. He was one of the first to set up a long term engagement in Las Vegas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report