Rudy Galindo's father died of a heart attack in 1993, and his brother, George, died from AIDS in 1994. Another coach, Rick Inglesi, died of AIDS in 1995. Galindo reports in his autobiography that he was grief-stricken and unmotivated by a lack of support from the skating establishment. He took eight months off after the 1995 U.S. Championships. The 1996 national championships were scheduled to take place in his hometown, San Jose. Rudy decided to take advantage of this opportunity to compete in front of his mother, who no longer traveled, and his hometown. He resumed training in September 1995, with his sister Laura as his coach. In January 1996, he won the men's title at the U.S. Championships at the San Jose Arena in a performance that has become legendary in the skating world. He was the oldest male to win this title in 70 years. He went on to win a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships. He performed to Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky for his free skate program, and Franz Biebl'a Ave Maria (performed by the Stanford Fleet Street Singers) for the exhibition program.