Danny Williams (Photo courtesy of Brian Moser)

Danny Williams, a well-known comedian and AIDS activist who entertained for more than 20 years on RSVP Cruises, died Nov. 4 at a Maryland hospital according to his husband, Brian Moser. Williams was 62 and succumbed to a staph infection though he had been struggling with health problems since 2012 when he went on disability.

Having lived many years in San Francisco, Williams, a hospital manager at UCSF Medical Center, started doing stand-up comedy in 1982 on his 30th birthday when he participated in an open mic event. For a time, he continued his day job and visited AIDS patients in the hospital while also participating in hundreds of charity fundraisers all over the country, Moser said. In 1986, he quit hospital work to focus on comedy full time.

In 1989, he started working for RSVP Cruises, known for their gay clientele. He entertained on board hosting costume parties, pool parties and gay spoofs of shows like “The Dating Game” and “Newlywed Game.”

Williams was born in New Orleans on Oct. 23, 1952 and spent part of his early years in Phoenix where his family relocated. He moved to San Francisco at age 18, Moser said. His religious parents sent him to a mental institution at 17 to try to “cure” him of being gay, an ordeal he later used in a one-man show called “1970.”

Williams and Moser met on an RSVP Cruise in 1995. The next year, Moser moved from Washington to San Francisco to be with Williams. They registered as domestic partners in 1998 and had additional ceremonies in 2003 and 2008 as California law allowed. They lived for a time in Palm Springs in 2000 and moved to the D.C. area in January this year where Williams continued his comedy work even performing at DAR Constitution Hall in March.

In addition to Moser, Williams is survived by his aunt Catherina Patricia Williams, and niece, Shannon Hedlund; sister-in-law Lisa Roja and her husband, Michael Roja; Moser’s sisters, Toni Roja and Diona Roja; and many nieces and nephews and extended family members. Williams is also survived by friends Tracey Brandon, Tom Harvey, Don Fenwick, Johnny and Jerry Hedges, Bob Grinchuck, and Reuel Olin.

A memorial service will be held in San Francisco Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. at Beatbox, 314 11th St. A reception will immediately follow at the 440 bar, 440 Castro St. Donations at the memorial and reception will benefit AEF and the Positive Resource Center, two of Williams’ favorite charities.