Diabetes magazines usually mention at least one famous person who has diabetes in each volume. Do you have a favorite person who has diabetes? Tell us about them and say why you like or admire them.

I have always loved Luther vanDross. He was one of the most talented singers of any time. His intonation, quality of sound and phrasing brought out the best of every song. He seemed funny and shy and nice too.

He always said, after he would lose a lot of weight -- again -- that he liked it when he lost weight and was no longer suffering with diabetes. He knew that it was waiting for him at every pound he gained.

I also admired him for how hard he tried and tried to lose weight. I remember he once said that after he had gained the weight back, yet again, he was ashamed to be seen, but his fans and friends told him that he was important to them, not his looks or just his voice, and that gave him the courage to go onstage and start another diet.

Unlike other celebrities, when he lost weight he never acted as if he was now perfect and better than others who were still heavy. He once said he had three wardrobes: thin, medium and heavy, and he kept looking at all three sizes and knew that if he wasn't extremely vigilant that he would gain all the weight back.

It's just a shame that his body couldn't take all the ups and downs of his weight and that his disease won in the end, taking him away from us far too soon, when he had more to do and many more songs to write and sing.