picture from Porn.com
AVN.com is reporting that Shawn Ricks has committed suicide.
Story by Mark Kernes
LOS ANGELES—Veteran performer/director Shawn Ricks, who appeared in more than 180 adult movies and directed more than 80 of them, was found dead on Saturday, June 26, of self-inflicted wounds. He would have been 47 on Aug. 3.
Ricks’ career in adult began in in 1993, ironically appearing in the movie Alex Jordan’s First Timers 1. (Jordan herself committed suicide just 15 years ago today.) Though he worked for most of the major production companies, Ricks rarely had starring roles in his movies, but until his final hardcore scene in 2001 in Heatwave’s Doin’ Da Nasty 3, he was considered a reliable cocksman, and he continued to direct features until well into 2005.
After Ricks developed a drinking problem, and was no longer able to find work in adult, he took a break from the industry and left the Los Angeles area for three years—but according to his wife, Liz, Ricks got his life back on track during the hiatus and was looking forward to new projects.
Asked if Ricks had been depressed before his death, Liz responded, "No, he was doing fantastic. Over 10 years ago, he shattered his heels because he was playing good Samaritan and retrieving a football for some kids, and he fell back and broke both his heels. The surgeon had said he’d never walk again, but he did, and of course he was in chronic pain, but on Wednesday, we went to the doctor and he got cortisone shots in his heels and he was doing fine. He was enrolled in classes and there was no indication of anything. His life was on track…..
Read the whole story here http://business.avn.com/articles
“Sometimes you’re better off dead” I was listening to just as I read this (West End Girls).
What kind of self-inflicted wounds? Gun? Blade?
Shelley, is this another death at the hands of the porn industry?
R.I.P. S.R.
I shattered both my heels in a fall too…it’s pretty damn painful.
My sympathies to his family and friends.
So terribly sad. My prayers and love to his family.
It’s too bad someone couldn’t find a better picture of him. It doesn’t seem fitting for an obituary image. 🙁
In fact, I found a nice and normal pic in the Google search engine under LIB. Why not use that picture? Why something so undignified? Everybody knows that male actors picture’s are not attractive because no one cares about their picture in straight porn. It doesn’t seem decent. No it doesn’t seem decent at all… not for an obituary picture.
Julie, he’s just an old, has been porn star that nobody’s ever heard of. Plus this blog ain’t the New York fucking Times you know?
Choose your battles more wisely.
Is that supposed to be the look on his face he had before he choose to kill himself?
Hi Colonel 😉
Julie, u complain a lot about everything for someone who is “just asking questions” Don’t u have your own blog to complain on? Oh, probably no one reads it. I suggest donuts.
What’s up, Biatch? I hope you’ve been fine.
By the way, who cares some human mope killed himself? Everybody dies, death is a part of the cycle of life which has been denied and ignored in today’s materialistic, obsessed with consumption society. Perhaps denying and ignoring is death a conspiracy to sell donuts. I’ll even go on a limb and say Shawn Ricks was on to something, and was going to expose this conspiracy, and The Illuminati killed him like they killed Michael Jackson and every other broke, has been, washed up loser who dies in one way or another. Here, you’ve got yourself a conspiracy theory.
Been good Colonel, just enjoying my summer! You good?
I read this guy slit his own throat. That is really sad… Gawd, how does someone do that?
I’m fine, Biatch, thank you dear. Slitting his own throat, man that’s harcore. I wish he would have done it on a webcam, that would have been more interesting to watch than this year’s summer movies.
Speaking of the movies, check this out: Scy-Fy channel is working on an action cheese flick titled: Mega Python vs. Goatoroid. That’s right, that’s the actual title, I’m not making this up. Only if they could get Shawn Ricks to play the lead character.
This is sad. Suicide is NEVER the answer.
Hey Miss Biatch, where did you read he slit his own throat?
This comes a month after the Stephen Hill murder/suicide. This seems to be a wake-up call that some attention to the needs of *men* in the porn industry, and more needs to be done in terms of making available mental health services for performers more generally.
I agree blue. If for nothing else for the sake of productive value. Mentally ill porn stars seem like more of a liability on set.