NEW YORK—AVN has confirmed that adult industry legend Jamie Gillis succumbed today to a battle with cancer in his hometown of New York City. He was 66.
Gillis will be cremated at a private ceremony. He requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the NYC Police Athletic League, an organization that assisted him as a boy and continues to aid New York City children. Donations can be made at www.palnyc.org/800-PAL-4KIDS/donate.aspx.
Vetern adult director Cass Paley (aka Wesley Emerson) said the following in an email to AVN Friday evening regarding Gillis’ death:
“It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Jamie Gillis. A wonderful and charismatic man and most treasured friend, he will be greatly missed by his partner Zarela, his family, his many friends, and countless fans around the world.
“Despite the immense grief we feel for the loss of our friend, we are comforted by a quotation from Albert Camus that Jamie often quoted to us: ‘Happniess, too, is inevitable.’”
AVN will provide in-depth coverage surrounding this news in the days to come.
R.I.P. Jenny Joyce
Mature performer had a 14-year career before succumbing to kidney failure
NORTH HOLLYWOOD—Jenny Joyce, a familiar face to fans of “mature women” videos, died on Feb. 9 at the age of 63 in Las Vegas of polycystic kidney disease after a long illness.
The actress, who appeared in about 35 movies between 1993 and 2007, worked mostly for specialty producers Totally Tasteless Video and Filmco Releasing, as well as amateur company Mike Hott Video. She appeared in several volumes of the Aged to Perfection series, and even starred in two volumes of Shooting Star Productions’ Secret Life of Jenny Joyce.
According to her longtime friend Marianne Noss, Joyce was born in Portland, Ore., but moved to Southern California as a child and spent many years in the San Fernando Valley. She had married earlier in life, but passed away as a single woman without children but surrounded by friends. She was well-known in her private life as an advocate for the disabled and those with Down syndrome, even going so far as to direct a play featuring only disabled actors.
“She began her film career in the mid-’90s, and found her acting was well-received,” Noss told AVN. “Jenny’s films are still being distributed through the adult entertainment industry. Although she was not in her 20s when she began her career, she popularized the idea that mature women can still be sexy in their 40s, 50s, and even until their 60s.”
Joyce was also known in L.A.’s swinger community, and practiced nudism at the Elysium Fields colony.
Though fairly active until just before her death, Joyce grew weaker as her renal failure advanced.
“At the end, she only had 10 percent function in her kidneys,” said Cherie Kay, a friend of Joyce’s for 15 years. “She got really tired of the dialysis because she’s phobic about needles, and she finally said, ‘I’ve had enough.’ I agreed with her, because she’d gotten one infection after another and wasn’t fighting infections well anymore. She lingered on for six weeks, and I spent hours on the phone with her; that was how we were with her until the end.”
A small memorial service for Joyce will be held on Sunday, Feb. 21, in Kay’s home. Those who knew Joyce and wish to attend the service should contact Kay at her email address for directions.
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Jenny worked for me for 5 years. She was a wonderful proformer as well as a excelent worker. She worked for me in Golden girls series, Aged to perfection series and lots more. She was on the cover of Aged to Perfection # 1. It was the best seller that T.T.V. ever had. She ran our photo section and worked with our graphic designers. She was a friend and she will be missed….Eddie de Roo and wife Linda
We appreciate the comments about your friend. She will be missed. Our thanks and our sympathy.