RIP: Gay Porn Star Josh Weston [Updated]

The gay porn legend who worked exclusively for Falcon Studios before appearing in features for Hot House, Colt, and C1R has died.

Though a cause of death has not been officially released, both Falcon and Hot House confirmed his passing this morning. Weston, 39, signed with Falcon in 2001 and went on to star in their biggest titles of the decade (Deep South, Heaven To Hell, Taking Flight). Weston began his career as a dancer at the Nob Hill Theatre in San Francisco, and after being discovered there by Chi Chi LaRue, he quickly became one of the decade’s most iconic performers.

Weston’s later work with several bareback studios was seen by some as controversial, but his flawless physique and legendary performances are what, I think, will be remembered most.

Weston unfortunately joins a long list of performers who’ve died this year, including Erik Rhodes, Adam Faust, Corbin Fisher’s Sean, Roman Ragazzi, and more.

More as this story develops…

Update 12/18/12: A Hot House rep has confirmed that Weston died from HIV-related complications.

 

95 thoughts on “RIP: Gay Porn Star Josh Weston [Updated]”

  1. Oh man like he died!! No!! I really like him and one of my crush!! He so damn sexy and died! Rest in peace John West. :(

  2. It is sad when someone blessed with such physical beauty chooses porn as a career. The majority of guys who survive it live with a lifetime of regret. I know two guys both big stars in the late 90’s who left the business and found it almost impossible to find success in a legit career. Eventually someone would out them and the job would be lost. Depression and addiction followed then for one jail (25 years) the other working as a bar back at a gay bar and escorting though now older the offers don’t come pouring in. It’s a tragedy that so many guys have killed themselves or died of drugs or HIV related illness. I think that most if these guys have very low self esteem and mental health issues. I’m sad for the guys who end up another porn statistic and happy for the guys who have made a transition to a healthier lifestyle.

    1. You “know two guys both big stars… ” and yet state “The majority of guys…”. While I am no statistician, unless you have additional, specific evidence, I truly must question your conclusion.

  3. Do people really die from heart attacks at 39? Especially those who look like that? When Ethan Marc died it only listed cause of death heart failure because his family tried to cover up how he really died. So I just think there is some thing not right about all this. Regardless He is going to be missed and may he find peace.

    1. If anyone wants to know why Josh died, look uo his death certificate, which is public record in the City and County of SF. It clearly shows that the cause was septic shock and bacterial endocarditis. In fact, he had a defective heart valve for several years before he died, and he wore an implanted pacemaker because of it. Such devices are very susceptible to infection. Rest in peace, young man.

  4. Never met Josh Weston in person. However, the very first time I saw him perform on screen I was “smitten”. He was beautiful as he was talented.

    Am very sad to hear of his passing. Rest In Peace Josh. We just may meet one day in heaven.

  5. He was one of my least favorite pornstars of his time (todays Phillip Aubrey if you will) but this news just sucks. Way too young.

    1. Wow. So sad. I met Josh through his yahoo fan page. We exchanged poems. He was intelligent and tender. He did not find the happiness in life he deserved. It seemed to me that porn supported him in a way that negated the need for him to develop the skills to support himself intellectually. When Falcon ended his contract he was abandoned. He saw the handwritting on the wall. He reflected on a life of poor choices. Some people aren’t smart enough for reflection and self-evaluation. He was. It was sad to see. It was even sadder that he never realized that he held the tools to turn things around.

  6. Why must gays talk bad and tear each other down? aren’t we “family”? its sad he died. but people don’t need to say shit about people you have never met, JUST because he was HIV+, or you think he did drugs. i am poz, i have dont porn too. i have never done drugs- other than cannabis. im from iowa and the “community” is horrible about people with hiv. they talk about ya, warn people “oh stay way from him, he has hiv!” seriously, its soo sad. you want equal right? you want marriage? we need to support eachother, not tear eachother down.

    1. One thing I have learned:

      we will NEVER come together as a community. we will NEVER have each other’s backs. we will NEVER look at each other the way we claim to look at each other to the straights. We may be diverse. but there is ABSOLUTELY NO LOVE in this community. quickly we have adopted the demeanor as the majority of the U.S. at the very least of “I got mine. forget you.” We’ve abandoned our lgbt youth and barely associate with our brethren of the world. we claim to care when one of us is killed or beaten or whatever, but the truth is, we could give two fucks about them. we can only stay united against a common enemy for so long but once that’s over, it’s back to being cliques and fucking another “conquest” and pretending they don’t exist. I actually read all of these comments and then several others on queerty, not to mention hear about the bullshit around town. but we get mad and cry homophobia against straight people for saying the same things about us. I’m also black and when I hear about how horribly portrayed we are, it’s upsetting but I just need to look outside of my window and see that unfortunately, they’re right. so how do you think I feel when I hear people talking about the gay community? And Some more of the worst aspects of the straight community that we’ve adopted but NO ONE wants to admit to are the racism, sexism, and “ideal person”. the problem that perpetuates them is that when someone is called out on it, or if someone points out something that may appear a bit discriminatory, everyone else will lash out at them like they’re being over-dramatic and just keep pretending it doesn’t exist. and yes there have been a lot of cry-wolf situations or people screaming racist when the person they want isn’t interested, but by simply dismissing it all together, especially with my favorite “it’s 2012….” bullshit, we perpetuate the ever lingering problem. We’re almost as bad as a desperate single mother who will ignore her daughter she claims that mommy’s new man just raped her. We NEED to do better. But I’ve lost all of my faith in humanity and truly believe that we’ll be like this for decades because we all we do is act like a bunch of bitching housewives. and I’m 21 years old saying this. I doubt most of you are close to me in age. Seriously, you need to start acting your ages, grow the fuck up, and be the fucking examples that the gay community likes to lie about.

    2. @DaneHansen. sorry about that and I don’t want you to think that any of that was directed at you personally, but I started thinking about all of this and it got me going

      Also.

      R.I.P. to another good man gone too soon

  7. I am very saddened to hear of this tragedy. Josh (Chad) was always a very sweet, good natured guy, that I had the privilege of knowing and sharing several production sets with. I will miss him.

    What saddens me more is how vicious the gay community can be over anthers choices. Especially when most, if not all of these people are being hypocritical. I seriously doubt all of the people who sit in judgement of Josh have always used condoms during both anal and oral. Have they always used a dental damn when rimming? Probably not.

    We all make choices in our lives that can be dangerous to our well being. Myself included. Some of us just make more of those choices than others. Just because we make fewer bad choices or differing ones does not mean we are better people.

    I hate the term bareback sex and even more so hate the way it is used to demonize what I consider natural sex. You can be responsible and still engage in unprotected sex. Getting tested together with a sexual partner, sharing your results and staying monogamous or polygamous within those tested together is one way.

    The key is being honest with each other over our status’ and being able to stay faithful together or within the agreed group. Bareback sex is not the problem irresponsible people are.

    I may not have agreed with Josh’s choice of doing bareback videos but the choice was his to make and I surely have done enough things in my life to never condemn the actions of another.

    It is disgusting to hear the way many of you have talked about another human being. Especially when almost all of you support the porn industry by buying videos, downloading from the net or what have you.

    There are many porn stars with all types of issues just as there are many people in the outside world with varying types of issues. We as a community should come together when another human being has succumbed to this terrible disease not judge and humiliate the dead.

    I know of many people who seek out HIV of their own accord. Why? Is it becuase they just want to have wild sex parties with multiple partners? I think not! the root of the matter is we are just all tired of being afraid of something so natural and beautiful as sex. Instead of demonizing sex and labeling it we need to teach person responsibility and how to minimize our risks.

    Safe sex, does not mean you will not get HIV. Condoms break, dental dams rip, wear and tear or old condoms improperly stored etc. There are many risk factors.

    Many people judge and hate on others because they are jealous that they do not have the guts to do the things these people do or have done. You begrudge them for living their lives openly and for participating in activities you long yourself to do.

    As I said earlier, natural sex is not the problem our irresponsibility is. If you engage in natural sex be honest with yourself and your partners about your sexual activities and stay tested within your coupling or group.

    We should all stop judging and hurting each other. That should be the ultimate goal of our or any other community.

    My final word on this posting is … “Josh, I love and will miss you my friend. I hope you have found the peace you craved in this life in the next.” XOXOXOXOXxoxoxoxoxo

    1. Chad, thank you for posting a positive, nice message about Josh. I cant believe the amount of judgement I read from other gay guys on here. I always admired josh and saw him a few times at my gym years ago by himself. He looked as sexy as always. I stopped going out to bars because of the prolific amount of negativity and attitude gay guys give each other. Stop judging and focus on yourself guys. We all have different paths in this life. Josh RIP.
      Chad, I met you once online, not knowing who you were, and you were an extremely nice and sexy guy in person. I’ll never forget the yellow jockstrap you wore when you answered the door. Glad to see there are still guys like you out there.

  8. Such a sad news. Lots of passing away this year, that may rise some concerns about the porn industry and how we treat the actors.
    And i am shocked to read some comments on this wall… Obituaries are not the place to insult each other or the dead !

  9. HIV and the drugs used to treat it can cause or exacerbate heart failure. I assumed he was HIV poz when he started making bareback movies.I thought he was a very sexy man.Assuming he died because of his alleged drug use versus the very real possibility he died from heart complications brought on by treatment of HIV is ignorant

  10. My condolences go out to the family, friends, and people who cared for Josh Weston. I was never a huge fan of his, but he certainly had lots of fans. I agree with the previous poster that his scene with Brad Patton was memorable.

    Let me make a few comments. The problem with the internet is that anyone can write anything, however ridiculous or speculative it may be, and it gets equal billing with people who actually know *something*. Having read many interviews that Josh gave, assuming he wasn’t making it all up, his life was an open book. He was originally from NV from a “conservative” family (I would guess Mormon, but don’t know for sure). It sounds like his family threw him out at a very young age (under 18) when they discovered he was gay, and that he was also physically assaulted by them in the process. He found his way to SF, and as a homeless street kid, he became a hustler because that was what he felt he had to do to survive. It seems very clear that he was HIV+ before he did his first porn scene, and there is exactly no possibility that he acquired HIV doing bareback porn.

    The sad truth about HIV is that it is still a death sentence, although we generally don’t like saying that these days. But instead of dying of an opportunistic infection like Kaposi’s sarcoma as was so common in the 1980s, these days people die of indirect consequences of HIV infection which to a large extent are caused by the treatments themselves: liver failure, liver cancer, heart disease, or cancer in general. The first three are largely consequences of the drugs themselves, which while having become more tolerable (i.e. fewer side effects), are no less TOXIC to the body. There’s a huge difference there, folks. Cancer is a common consequence for people whose immune systems are compromised, because one of the primary functions of the immune system is to kill cancer cells (and this is why sleep is so important, because one of the primary functions of sleep is to re-charge the immune system). If the immune system is not functioning normally, the likelihood of cancer taking root is that much greater. What the drugs have accomplished is that they greatly extend the lifespan of a person infected with HIV. But let’s not kid ourselves to think that that lifespan is extended indefinitely. It’s not. Generally speaking, most clinicians who study these things and are being honest with you will tell you that even with the best treatments we have today, the lifespan of a person infected with HIV is approximately 20-30 years from the date of infection, even with access to all the best treatments. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule, but statistics are statistics, and this is what it is.

    Let’s not all be so judgmental here. I’d prefer that people think about and talk about what we can ALL be doing to reduce HIV transmissions from 50,000-60,000 a year on average (half or more of which are amongst gay men) to zero. THAT’s what we should be putting our energies and efforts into.

    Peace, Josh. I’m sorry life was so hard. And peace to all of the rest of you who are suffering in any way, for any reason. We should all be a lot nicer to one another.

    1. Josh Weston's Bio

      I hail from a small town in Nevada where nothing much ever happened. My teen years were pretty ordinary considering where we were and so to fight the boredom I discovered athletics. It became my passion: I ran track and field, raced cross-country, captained the swim team, and was one of my high school’s top contenders in the state diving championships. I may have started out as a skinny kid, but all those years of training helped me develop my stamina and flexibility. I earned the nickname “rubberband” from my swim coach for my ability to wind my way through a lot and quickly adapt to any situation.

      In college, I studied sports fitness and became intent on transforming my lean runner’s body into a more sculpted, gym-built form. After graduation, I moved to San Francisco, California to get a taste of the big city. Continuing with my interest in health and sports training, I quickly got a job as a personal trainer at some local gyms.

      Money was tight, so to make ends meet, I started dancing at the Nob Hill Theatre. It’s actually funny how I ended up there — some out-of-town friends were visiting, and we decided to check the theatre out. It was amateur night and I was mistaken for one of the contestants. My best friend dared me to take the stage, and next thing I knew, I became the featured dancer!

      Soon after, the theatre was hosting a Falcon Studios premiere. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the irrepressible and inimitable Chi Chi LaRue. He spotted my talents (ahem) and I guess the rest, as they say, is history.

  11. BLOGS are not journalism people. The Sword is just re-posting from Hot House’s Blog. Until there is an official media release from his family or cause of death released why not STFU!

    Because I am the moderator for his old Yahoo.com group fan page, I was contacted by one of his former roommates and told he passed away from “a bad heart.” Let us have some respect! If his death was due to HIV/AIDS related complication that doesn’t give ANYONE the right to judge his life. He didn’t deserve to die! HAVE SOME RESPECT, PLEASE!

    I hope Chad is in a place he can’t hear or see the things people are saying about him.

    Rest now dear man.

  12. To the judgmental posters:

    One day you will die and I can only hope that those in your life will be decent enough to show love and respect for who you were as a human being instead of being cruel and mean-spirited about your perceived flaws or missteps. No one can truly say why a life goes in one direction or the other. I will not begin to speculate on who Josh Weston was as a man, as I did not know him personally, or to condemn his life as it was.

    I can only hope his life had joy and love.

  13. How exactly is it “ignorant, stupid, and obscure” to relate unsafe sex to HIV contraction? Grow up, dude, that’s fucking EXACTLY what causes it. No one’s saying he deserved it, but to act like that’s not how he got it is, well, ignorant, stupid, and obscure.

  14. Some people need to stop being so cruel, cold hearted and judgmental. A human being has died. Can’t we show a little compassion!! Its very sad he died of HIV complications. Lets stop being so ignorant and blame it on his doing bareback porn. I think so many people need to get off their pedestals and stop thinking that somehow since they are negative they are the exception and can go around judging those people who have HIV. Beware cause what goes around comes around as my mother always said. Nobody on here knows the exact circumstances so who are we to judge. How do we know he didn’t just catch something as simple as pneumonia or anything like that can be deadly for a person with a weak immune system.

    One of these days maybe the gay community can stop being such a bunch of haters and actually start loving one another. If you don’t have anything nice to say then just shut your mouth cause the rest of us get tired of hearing you preaching hatred 24/7.

    1. It is sad how many GAY people really have to be so judgemental. I guess these individuals have lives that are perfect, or they have nothing else to do but bad mouth everyone else…. We really need to be come more tolerant of each other.. No wonder everyone is against us getting certain rights, we cant even treat each other with respect….
      I hope we can learn to be more tolerant in the year ahead…

    2. HIV/AIDS is still a problem, and people like you, Andre, help the disease linger. You act like its an overgeneralization to speculate about someone with HIV, yet you know damn well that there are tons of movies out there of you barebacking with poz guys. I won’t speculate on your own status, but it’d be nice if you’d be a little more forthcoming before chastising others.

      1. Sorry but maybe you outta read my posting again because I was sticking up for Josh and his choice to do bareback movies. So before you jump to the judgment on me, I never claimed to be some angel. I have done tons of bareback moves,that was my choice and I am not ashamed of it. I am tired of everyone blaming someones choice to do bareback movies as their reason for dying. that is absolutely irrelevant in the bigger picture of things. Are you so ignorant that you think only the guys who do bareback porn are poz or that they are all poz? OBviously you need to do your homework before you open your big mouth . Oh and if your apparently trying so hard to stop the spread of hIv then why are you watching bareback movies? now that’s the real question.

    1. The number of men who he took home and he barebacked because they thought the same thing is probably the real shocking and sad thing.

      1. You should back up your claims with real facts and not spewing innuendo. This says far more about you than anything else.

  15. Is there more to this story? It seems very strange to me, especially when I read posters who say he was looking sick and sad. It’s very rare to die of AIDS these days unless you’re untreated or addicted to drugs.

    1. or have a strain that’s resistant to the meds, or unable to physically tolerate them because of awful side effects. Not everyone is treatable. Or severe heart disease which HIV and/or meds can drastically increase the risk.

  16. A couple of years back he was living near me and I’d see him at the grocery every now and then. He always looked very sick and very sad. I really hope he finds the peace he clearly didn’t have in this life.

  17. While my heart breaks when I hear of any death in our community, I hope this serves as a reminder to us all, especially young gay men, that HIV is still very much a real threat. Be safe and love each other unconditionally.

    1. Bobby — your point is well made and kindly spoken, unlike some other commenters on this thread. I don’t see the need for the nastiness, but it IS important for people to realize that others are still dying of “HIV complications”, even if the numbers are not as high as they were in the past. Josh was 39 and this is a reminder for others that this isn’t always just ‘chronic’ or ‘manageable’ where people live ‘long lives’. I’m not sure what his specific situation is, but eyes need to be opened about trying to remain negative, play safely, get treatment early and seek help to avoid other pitfulls (like drugs, alcohol and more unsafe sex).

      Peace to Josh and others who are dying, but aren’t as ‘well known’.

  18. Poor young man. Josh was such a good performer, one of my few favorites.
    I wonder so much to be convinced that barebacking was not the ultimate mistake he did.
    Be peaceful forever Josh!

  19. Very sad!! Josh Weston was one of the true porn stars! When I think of falcon he is one of the names that instantly comes to mind.

  20. How incredibly sad, another wonderful man who died way too young, and as far as the asholes posting the snarky comments are concerned … bad karma will come and both bite AND fuck them in the ass.

    1. Go to Google and click images. Then type Josh Weston and you’ll see this: Related searched – Josh Weston Bareback.

      The only sad thing in this thread is reading all these excuses fangurls make for porn models.

      1. No, the only thing sad is the lack of argument to link the conclusion (Josh Weston’s death) to the premise (bareback sex / bareback porn model). Where is the supporting documentation and argument? We both know there is none forthcoming that doesn’t involve you speculating and talking ill of the dead. Never do that, lest somebody speak ill of you when your time comes.

        1. A great model/actor but why should anyone die of HIV when the treatment is so good now to keep it under control? I would really like to know.

  21. Show a picture of him wasting away from AIDS. And then click to the next story about how sexy ‘creampies’ are. Then wait for the next idiot to die. Then shake your head in surprise and disappointment. Rinse, repeat.

    1. And as the life span persons living with HIV increases, as it has been doing for quite some time, persons like you will fade further into the realm of ignorance, stupidity, and obscurity. One also supposes that the part about “cause of death has not been officially released” has escaped your attention as well.

  22. i knew josh for 15 yrs.
    the porn biz is rife with drugs and slelazy pushers. josh was a babe in the woods. only the pushers and the biz are to blame…

  23. This is very sad. I remember too when he first came into the industry. I always liked his body. I remembered how unhealthy he started to look once he started doing bareback films… it was only a matter of time at that point.

  24. Really terribly sad to hear this. Josh Weston was one of my first fantasy men in porn and his scene with Shane Rockford in Deception is one I continue to replay, for the hotness and sheer passion which he brought to the scene. No matter how he died, 39 is a young age to go and I wish the best to his family and friends as they cope with his passing.

  25. R.I.P. Josh Weston

    What is wrong with some of you with your replies?
    The man has died , no need to post negative comments / hearsay’s on here.

  26. Such a damn shame to hear him pass away. He was a beautiful man with an amazing body, even during his bareback porn years when he was also using drugs. I think he also did come down with HIV, but maybe I misread.

    Last I remember reading about him he got his life back together and became a realtor.

  27. This is an industry rife with mental health issues which is at the root of all of the heart wrenching deaths we are seeing. RIP

  28. I’m utterly shocked and saddened by this news.

    I knew Josh Weston. We’ve met a few times when he was living on the East Coast. He had a kind heart and gentle soul.

    He touched people in a special way and brought something to the lives of many. I know that he’ll be sorely missed.

    R.I.P. pal !

      1. I’m not sure about Afghanistan, but this is a porn blog, so keeping things in perspective ;-)

        He was a special person and if you were fortunate enough to meet him in person you’d know what I’m referring to. Peace to his soul.

  29. At first i saw these photos and thought he was going to return…

    Very sad news. He was a really beutiful man.

    Why the good guy die and g4p trash like Sebastian Young keeps on living?

      1. ” Sebastian is a close friend of mine… ” L.O.L. … It says a lot of you. No one expect me to show respect for those guys that were drug users and did bareback like they were angels or saints. They found what they were searching for. I know better people that live a sane life to give my respect and show my symphaty: I will never give it for a promiscuous whore, dead or alive because people like them don’t have morals to deserve it. Pity? Maybe because they choose to live in the filth. Yes I’m judgemental: Fuck you! Go mourning whores.

        1. Wow! Since when did it become acceptable to speak ill of the dead?

          You should absolutely be ashamed of yourself. He was someone’s son and someone’s brother. He had a family, a life prior to porn, and no less humanity than the rest of the world.

          Interesting that you should even be on a page concerning a porn star. I think it’s safe to say that you have more than a passing familiarity with porn. You’re likely one of its many consumers. In fact, you’re probably the type of guy whose keyboard is sticky from lube and chronic masturbation. Funny you should condem the very performers you’ve probably been fantasizing about fucking you 9 ways to Sunday.

          BTW, go ahead and judge harshly. If you do, you’d best hope there’s no God because I don’t think he suffers self-righteous fools gladly. In fact, he might just say, “Fuck You,” before sending your sorry ass to the very place I’m certain you think porn stars go.

          1. I like what WTF had to say. I wish I was able to speak so eloquently about pricks like that. It seems so easy for people to judge, especially when they are nameless and faceless. My stage name was Danny Sommers, and people make mistakes and misguided actions occur. I did porn for 6 years and moved on. It was a great time for a young man to live, love, and be free. Now that I’m older with more responsibilities, I might not have taken thT path, but it sure beats pathetic assholes that condemn others while not even considering the friends and family of the deceased. I’m sorry for the tragic loss. I don’t watch much porn, but everyone had the right to make their own decisions, good or bad! I’m saying a prayer for Josh and his family and friends.

  30. :( Heartbreaking. One of my very first adult dvds was “Deep South: Part 1.” I bought it because the guy on the cover (Josh Weston) was one of the hottest guys I had ever seen. I was never disappointed with his performances. It’s sad when a great performer is lost; but even more so when they are lost at such a young age.

  31. Josh was my favorite falcon man of days gone by. Flawless in every way, his scenes were always dynamite. I used to love to watch him cum in his scenes, no one moaned or climaxed like him.. he made every scene come off like he was really into it and his partner. I would wonder sometimes where he was and why he still wasn’t featured anymore and then I saw him do some bb scenes and figured he got blacklisted. His bb scenes were just not the same as his falcon and colt/buckshot stuff, not as hot as I thought they’d be. Still though I’ll remember him as one of the first porn stars to catch my eye. We lost 2 of porn’s and falcon’s finest this year.

  32. I thought he had been looking pretty unhealthy for a while but sorry to hear about his passing. In all my interactions with him, he was genuinely nice and friendly.

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