IS DADDY OK? CHARLIE SHEEN'S KIDS KNOW ABOUT HIV DIAGNOSIS
Nov. 19 2015, Updated 8:12 p.m. ET
Charlie Sheen told the world Tuesday morning about his HIV diagnosis, but RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned that his kids found out Monday afternoon.
His daughters with ex-wife Denise Richards — Lola, 10, Sam, 11 — and twin sons with Brooke Mueller, Bob and Max, 6, were given the news in a delicate manner, insiders said.
One source explained, "Denise picked the girls up from their school in Malibu and told Lola and Sam their dad's name was in the media again, which is nothing new for them. Kids will be talking at school and Denise reassured them Charlie isn't dying. That was the most important thing for them to understand."
"Denise answered any questions the girls had," the source said.
Meanwhile as for Mueller and the twins, the source said, "She told the kids about it after they returned home from school. Since they are younger, Brooke just kept it very simple. She said Daddy is sick, but if he takes his medication, he will be okay."
According to the insider, "Both women are doing a phenomenal job shielding the kids from the headlines. The most important thing for the kids to know is that they are loved and safe."
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As the National ENQUIRER was first to report, Sheen's health status has been an open secret for years in the show biz community, and the star's "worst fear is that he will be remembered not as a great actor, but as someone who contracted the disease."
Insiders said that the Major League star "took no precautions … even though he was indulging in high-risk sex practices," thinking he "was indestructible."
Richards, Mueller, and all four of the kids have tested negative for HIV, and don't have the disease.
The kids' lives "will go on as usual," the source said. "Denise and Brooke have bonded through this ordeal. The issues of the past are just that, in the past. They want Charlie to live a happy and healthy life."