Pornstar August Ames commits suicide

[Nergal]

 

Today, we should probably start with observing a moment of silence for the late August Ames. There is no better way to say it, but the porn fraternity led by yours truly is mourning the death of one of our own, August Ames. The 23-year-old beauty passed away on Tuesday, Dec 5 in Camarillo, California. Her death, apparently by suicide came after a bitter exchange with her fans following claims she made that were deemed homophobic. Before her death, the prolific adult entertainer had featured in over 270 flicks. In her four years in the industry, her body of works had included multiple performances for just about every major production company. She was the holder of two AVN awards. May her soul rest in peace.

Homophobic accusations and twitter backlash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canadian born August Ames, real names Mercedes Grabowski had a bitter exchange with fans after she voiced her concerns overshooting a scene with a male porn actor who had starred in gay porn. She had used her social media platform to warn off her female colleagues against working with men who had previously featured in gay films.  You can see her tweet above.

Crossing over

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a common practice in the porn industry where male actors who have starred in gay films take part in straight films to make that extra buck. This practice is referred to as crossing over. The practice is fairly common and is not considered taboo.  However, many female actors, like Ames pointed out in one of her tweets, are careful about such actors because of a perceived higher threat of contracting HIV/AIDS. Apparently, medical testing is different for gay scenes compared to straight scenes, and there is an increased chance of getting the deadly virus.

However, fans were having none of it and branded her a homophobe in a series of insults. She had tough words for them though, at one point telling them off with a ‘fuck y’all’ tweet. She later attempted to clarify her comments saying that she had nothing against the gay community but adding that “Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety.”  In the days before her death, her friends claimed that she had suffered from long-term depression, and the online bullying she was subjected to may have pushed her to commit suicide. It is not yet clear what led to her death and police are still investigating. But they have ruled out foul play.

Tributes followed her death

There was an almost immediate outpouring of tributes immediately the news of her sad demise became public. Director Kevin Moore, who also doubled up as her husband, said that Ames was the ‘kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me’ while also pleading with people to “Please leave this as a private family matter in this difficult time.”

Accounts representing giant porn outlet Brazzers tweeted their devastation with the news saying that their thoughts were with friends and family of the deceased. Brazzers was even considerate enough to postpone her latest scene, presumably to let her fans and family grieve her death. Porn veteran Jenna Jameson also voiced her concerns regarding the online bullying that Ames was subjected to because of her opinion, recalling that she herself was the subject of death threats because of her position on a transwoman appearing in Playboy magazine. She called on people to end the mob psychology.  Other pornstars who tweeted their messages of condolences included Nicollet Shea.

Witty online presence

It is worth noting that August Ames had a pretty witty presence online, particularly her Instagram account. Instagram does not allow porn or full nudity but trusts Ames not to follow such rules. She was never afraid of presenting herself for who she was. She presented herself with confidence, if a little arrogant, about who she was and what work she did. She seemed comfortable with her job and was unafraid to flaunt her body of works.

Personal details

August Ames was born Mercedes Grabowski in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1994. Before joining the world of adult entertainment, she had different working stints at a bar and a tanning salon. She started doing porn in 2013. Her four years in the porn industry saw her appear for major companies like Evil Angel, Smash Pictures, and Lethal Hardcore.  Her popularity in the porn world is demonstrated by the Best New Starlet at the 2015 AVN Awards nomination, female performer of the year 2016, 2017, plus nominations for the upcoming awards in 2018. She also had a huge online following, though that’s suspected to have contributed to her death following the earlier mentioned confrontation with fans.