In the closeted Hollywood of the 1950s gay hunk ROCK HUDSON took a “wife” PHYLLIS GATES to keep his secret safe. Years later, she still described the nups as a “fairy tale” marriage gone horribly awry.
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In the closeted Hollywood of the 1950s gay hunk ROCK HUDSON took a “wife” PHYLLIS GATES to keep his secret safe. Years later, she still described the nups as a “fairy tale” marriage gone horribly awry.
Before Phyllis’ death in 2006 at age 80, the one-time talent agency secretary who married Rock in the 1950s went to her death, insisting she married him out of love and not to cover up his homosexuality.
Phyllis Gates came from Dawson, Minnesota and had worked as a sales clerk, flight attendant and a talent agent's secretary in New York City before landing a job as a secretary for top Hollywood agent Henry Willson, who represented Hudson, Tab Hunter, Rory Calhoun, among other young risers.