Although Burr had not revealed his homosexuality during his lifetime, it was an open secret and was reported in the press upon his death. The "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" wrote that "People" magazine was preparing a story on Burr's "secret life" and asked, "Are the inevitable rumors true?" It received sensational treatment in the tabloid press; biographer Michael Starr wrote of the "wild stories about Raymond's private life spiced up with quotes from unidentified 'friends' who described his closeted homosexual lifestyle in almost cartoonish terms".