They display incredible sensuality on camera, but behind the glamour, porn stars are all human beings who go through the same shit every one of us goes through. The adult entertainment industry is all shiny from the outside, but only the ones inside know its dark side. Many porn stars have been unable to survive with a good number ending their own lives. Others have died under mysterious circumstances and the industry continues to moan the tragic losses of many porn stars throughout the years. To celebrate their lives and their contribution to adult entertainment, here is a list of porn stars that have lost their lives under whichever circumstances. Thoughts are with their friends and families.
August Ames
August Ames was a victim of cyber bullying and ended up taking her own life in 2017. The cause of death for the then 23 year old was confirmed as asphyxiation due to hanging. Before her death, she had warned her fellow female porn stars against shooting with guys that had previously shot gay scenes. Her tweet read: “Whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNew, you’re shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know…Do agents really not care about who they’re representing? I do my homework for my body.”
She was subsequently subjected to brutal backlash on social media as people accused her of being homophobic. She initially attempted to put her tweet into context: “NOT homophobic,” Ames clarified. “Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety. That’s just how it is with me. I’m not putting my body at risk, I don’t know what they do in their private lives.”
When it became unbearable, she took her own life leaving a note behind to apologize to her parents. She had featured in over 290 movies.
Yuri Luv
Yuri Luv or Yurizan Beltran died from a suspected drug overdose aged 31 on December 2017. Before her death, the famous pornstar had starred in over 200 scenes and was renowned for portraying Kourtney Kardashian in Courtney Confessions. A few months before her death, she posted a tweet with a horrifying message about death: “I hope to arrive at my death late, in love and a little drunk.” She was found dead in her apartment by her landlord.
Shyla Stylez
Yet another porn star that lost her life in 2017, Shyla Stylez passed away at her mother’s home in Canada. The German-Canadian AVN Hall Of Fame inductee died aged 35. According to reports, her mother found her unresponsive in her bed and she was confirmed dead shortly after. I don’t know about you, but I was a huge fan of Shyla who had been in the MILF category for as long as I can remember. RIP to a real one.
Olivia Lua
She was an instant hit when she joined the porn industry in 2016, shooting an array of hardcore movies before landing a lucrative contract with porn producer LA Direct Models. Olivia Lua described herself as an “exhibitionist” and posted graphic images of herself having sex on her social media pages. Her contract with LA Direct Models was cancelled with the producer later explaining that she had been turning up for work high. She was found dead on Jan 19 of suspected overdose of drugs and alcohol. She had appeared in more than 400 films, including “Perverted Point of View”.
Olivia Nova
Up-and- coming adult performer, Olivia Nova, was found dead in 2018 in her Las Vegas apartment. Her death came merely days after she had tweeted about spending the holidays by herself and generally appearing lonely. The adult entertainer was represented by LA Direct Models and had joined the porn industry in March 2017. Prior to her death, she had been battling ‘personal challenges’ including an addiction to prescription pills. Further details about her death have been scanty. Her agent described her as a “beautiful girl with a very sweet and gentle personality”.
Karen Lancaume
French porn star Karen Lancaume starred in over 40 movies scenes having joined the porn industry at the age of 17. She was an instant hit and her career boomed as a result, but she became addicted to drugs and alcohol. On 28 January 2005, Karen committed suicide by taking the overdose of temazepam and alcohol in her boyfriend’s Paris apartment. She was 32.
Violet Adamson
Another one who died by suicide, Violet Adamson was a famous American pornstar who died in Ohio on December 19, 2010, at the age of 35. She hanged herself under mysterious circumstances, but not before she featured in many hardcore porn films including her first hardcore shoot for an adult website ‘Big Naturals’ at the age of 32.
Final Thoughts
Many porn stars appear to have ended their own lives or died from drug overdose. But according to Porn star Odette Delacroix, the pressures of the porn industry are so enormous they require mental toughness. Some of the biggest challenges she cited include constant abuse and online bullying, increasing competition for roles, judgmental attitudes and little support.
Even worse, many porn stars opt not to speak out about their problems some of which are mental, eating disorders, or substance abuse for fear that they won’t be booked for jobs. Something clearly needs to be done to arrest the situation before the industry continues to lose more porn stars to suicide and substance abuse. We need them more alive than dead, right?
