Ed passed away in on Jan. 17, 2005, having changed his name to Belew. Ed lived in LA and was a Chemical Dependency Counselor.

The following article about Ed appeared in the Los Angeles times in February 8, 1988:

AIDS Project L.A. Honors 'Extraordinary' Volunteer February 08, 1988

ANN WIENER LA Times Staff Writer

Ed Belew, the first winner of the AIDS Project Los Angeles "Volunteer of the Year Award," traveled to elementary schools, colleges, prisons, hospitals and anywhere else he was invited last year to dispel myths and fallacies about the disease. In all, Belew gave 213 speeches on AIDS awareness. But Sunday afternoon, hours before the "Friends In Deed" awards ceremony at The Palace, Belew was still pondering what he would say when he accepted his award. "And for the first time," he said, "I don't know what I'm going to say."

Belew has lost nine friends to AIDS. What prompted him to volunteer at APLA was a recruitment poster he saw in 1985, around the time one of his close friends died. "I watched him die, just a little bit, every day," he said. Dan Morin, director of volunteers for AIDS Project Los Angeles, said Belew is one of the best volunteers APLA has. "I felt it was important that we had a unique, once-a-year special event for very special people. Ed's contributions have really been extraordinary, he's willing to do anything at a moment's notice and that's why he's getting this award," Morin said. Twelve other APLA volunteers also were scheduled to be honored at The Palace, Morin said.