BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS) -- Susan Stafford, the original hostess of Wheel of Fortune, has revealed how she was present when a Catholic priest led Rock Hudson in the "sinner's prayer" to receive Jesus Christ into his life just hours before his death aged 59 on Oct. 2, 1985 of complications from AIDS.

Dan Wooding with Susan Stafford

Stafford, who preceded Vanna White on the popular game show, revealed the inside story of Rock Hudson's final hours in an exclusive interview with me on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, at the 17th Annual Movieguide® Faith and Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

"Yes, it is true that Rock Hudson accepted Jesus Christ on his deathbed," she said. "The last few hours with Rock Hudson were more than interesting because you see Shirley and Pat Boone had been up there with Gavin and Patty McLeod before them. He had a nurse taking care of him whose name was Toni. I never met Toni as she was on a different shift than my comings and goings at 'The Castle', which was the name we called Rock's home in Beverly Hills.

"Because he was dying of AIDS, there was an unbelievable fear of AIDS at that time."

She worked with leprosy patients

Rock Hudson shortly before he died

Susan, a born-again Christian who had left the popular game show in 1982, went on to say, "I had just come back from working with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop with leprosy patients in India, so AIDS was not as frightening to me as it would be to most Americans at that time."

Susan said that friends had invited her to the house to assist Rock Hudson because she they knew she had no fear of AIDS.

She revealed that she knew that Rock Hudson had been raised a Roman Catholic and so she asked him hours before his death if he would like to see a priest. He said he would and so it was arranged for Fr. Terrance A. Sweeney, a five-time Emmy Award winning producer, an ex-Jesuit priest who was ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1973, to come to his home.

"Rock and myself had a wonderful conversation and then, after the priest arrived, Rock, in a prayer with Fr. Sweeney, accepted our Lord Jesus Christ in his life and then he died shortly afterwards in his own bed on the second floor of the house."

Pat Sajak, present host of Wheel Of Fortune, Susan Stafford and Merv Griffin

Susan Stafford said she later conducted Rock Hudson's funeral and actress Morgan Fairchild was quoted as saying, "Rock Hudson's death gave AIDS a face."

Susan then said, "After his death, I went back home, which is Kansas City, Missouri, and I talked to people there about Rock Hudson. I was aware that in Missouri, there was a lot of judgment, but the Lord says very clearly that unconditional love, Agape love, is the clearest most perfect love and He died for us. So that means he accepts all of me and all of them because that's His commandment that we love one another.

"That's what I would say anybody who comes to you who's gay, homosexual, has HIV/AIDS, you just love them up. That's what they need. If we don't love each other and instead just keep on judging everybody, we're not going to have any friends left."

Susan Stafford concluded by saying, "Rock Hudson was a real gentleman and accepted his illness with a great sense of humor despite being in a lot of pain."

Dr. Susan, who is now a PhD, has a new book called "Stop The Wheel, I Want To Get Off!" You can get more information about the book and her extraordinary life from her website, which is: www.susanstafford.org

Note: I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 45 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV's Faith, Hope and Charity channel. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloid totruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com.