Yes. A close friend of my family contracted AIDS sometime in the 80s. The person died in the 90s. I was a teenager throughout this time.

My parents were scared out of their minds for my health whenever I went over to play (but they let me). They told me to never drink out of a dirty glass, never touch any blood, etc ... stuff that didn't make any sense to me at the time and a lot of stuff that's incorrect.

Anyway, AIDS meant sure death in those years.