A few words in tribute to a sweet soul that was taken from the world after not spending nearly enough time here.
Suddenly, many people who didn’t know or had barely heard of Dave Slick have an awful lot to say about his life and his untimely death. Awful being the operative word.
I first met Dave a little over a year ago. He was up for Male Web Cam Model of the Year and was so proud to have taken home the trophy.
I had lunch with him a couple of weeks when he was in town to attend the XBiz Miami Show.
In between, we had kept in contact by text.
When I had lunch with him a couple of weeks ago, he had never looked better. Specifically, he had had been losing weight, watching his diet carefully, hitting the gym, and building his body the old-fashioned way: with reps not ‘roids.
And it showed. Not just in his physique, but in glowing skin, enviable bag-free eyes, and an attitude of excitement.
A lot of the positive attitude was fueled by the fact his first scene was set to be released very shortly, he had two completed scenes on the schedule, and had he was excited about the future bookings already set both in the studio and for his cam shows.
Dave was a new kind of porn star. It was a natural progression from the “grassroots” legions of fans he had amassed during his webcam shows and social media following that ultimately led him to the studios, not the other way around.
In particular, with the release of his first scenes just around the corner, Dave was very hopeful that exposure would further elevate his already very successful webcam shows into an entirely new level.
In short, he felt like he had the tiger by the tail and couldn’t wait to see what was next.
Both with me and with others, Dave was not shy to discuss he had indeed had a substance issue in the past. And that was most definitely in the past. He was now far too goal-oriented for that to be a part of his present.
As for what happened to cause his very untimely death, the truth is we know little more than the fact of it, but nothing about the exact circumstances and reasons why. There’s been plenty of speculation used to fill in the blanks. It’s not helpful at only tarnishes Dave’s memory before many had the chance to get to know him.
Rest in peace, Dave. And comfort to your family and friends.
You will be missed.
[UPDATE] Since I wrote this post, “police said syringes were found inside the bathroom” where Dave was found. The initial autopsy proved “inconclusive.” The Medical Examiner’s Office said the “cause and manner of death is pending,” and the toxicology reports are not yet completed.
Is it possible Dave relapsed after seemingly taming the beast? The truth is we don’t know yet. What we do know is that addiction is a serious disease.
If you or someone you care about is battling addiction, there are resources tailored to our community waiting to help you help yourself
We will continue to uodate this story as further details become available.
Very Good Reporting. I liked it! gREAT jOB.
I just found out about this death because it was connected to a news story about Kyle Dean. Never forget, you reap what you sow. Some gays like to pretend that their life is so perfect and that they are soooo beautiful. Then then they die and have these pathetic things revealed about their lives. The fabulous gay life is a complete LIE. I’m sure I have made many of you angry by saying this, as you would do anything to defend the lie. But, no matter what, it’s still a complete lie.
Well, June is the month of Pride, but now I feel it´s a month of Shame. Two very young and beautiful men died in a short period of time. If I understood well, both had problems with addiction.
So, while there are attitudes like “drugs are cool”, more and more young and old men will die, more and more families will be ruined by this. Is it crude? Yes, it´s, but nobody said life would be easy and it´s not.
While a gay man, I support gay men and this was a very important lesson learned in my life. That´s why I think we need to talk more about addiction and how the drugs are not that cool that, sometimes, media sells.
Only seriously reading about our realities, I understood some subjects are difficult to talk about but this is something necessary. A so beautiful face! Rest in peace, Dave!
Bearing in mind that we do not yet know the EXACT cause of death; overdose is a one of the more obvious causes. So many people, especially “young” people have been dying lately. Whether it be from substances, suicide, dealing with mental health issues, whatever the cause. To put it quite simply young people around his age should not be DYING.
As a person in recovery, I KNOW THERE IS HELP OUT THERE. It’s not all puppy dogs and cupcakes, and IT’S NOT EASY. YOU have to take the first step, and it can be scary. The biggest thing about drug and alcohol use/addiction is that it wants YOU DEAD.
My condolences to his friends and family. I see it all too often and it doesn’t get any easier. I am sad about this and that comes from my heart.