One was found face-down on a rented bed , naked from the waist down. Another had hanged herself in a park near the home she shared with her beloved husband. A third reportedly relapsed on prescription pills and died at rehab . The common denominator? These three women - and two others - were all stars of the porn industry. And they all died in the last three months.
The recent spate of tragic deaths is no coincidence, says Ginger Banks, an adult performer who is calling for porn stars to understand their rights.
Speaking to HollywoodLife , she revealed the real reason why some women in porn struggle - and it's all because of how they're treated by viewers.
"The way society looks at and treats porn stars makes us more depressed, it is hard to feel like we don’t belong or that we are second-class citizens," she told the site.
"I have suffered depression because of the way people view my job. That is the worst part of this job, the way people treat me because of what I do for a living."
August Ames (real name Mercedes Grabowski ), who committed suicide in a public park last month at the age of 23, had been viciously trolled in the hours before her death over her refusal to have filmed sex with a 'crossover' actor - someone who has sex with men and women.
She'd been told to "take a cyanide pill" and was branded homophobic for her decision - despite being bisexual herself.
Her heartbroken husband Kevin Moore placed the blame squarely on her trolls in a blog post, saying they had "her blood on your hands" as he revealed she'd screenshotted every single abusive comment on her phone for him to find.
"We need to facilitate more networking and community for sex workers and entertainers, it is important so you don't feel like you have a dirty secret," says Ginger.
"So you have an outlet and maybe find a therapist who is OK with your job and who doesn't make you feel ashamed for what you do."
On Friday 19 January, another porn star was found dead - this time in a rehab facility where she'd gone a week after reportedly relapsing.
Olivia Lua's family had raised concerns over her use of prescription pills in the weeks before her death, and the 23-year-old's modelling agency, LA Direct Models, said in a statement that she'd been battling "personal challenges".
Her death came less than two weeks after that of Olivia Nova, real name Lexi Forde, who died at the age of 20 at a rental home in Las Vegas.
She was found in circumstances police initially assumed were unnatural because she was half-naked with bruising to her lower leg.
But her cause of death was ruled to be not suspicious, and most likely the result of sepsis from a severe UTI and kidney infection that she'd been given medication for.
Lexi's friend told Mirror Online that the porn star had suffered several traumatic events in recent times, including the suicide of her boyfriend last year and a horrific drunken snowmobile crash that landed her in hospital.
The pal said Lexi was warned by doctors in October that she would die if she didn't sober up, and that she'd spent three days shortly before her death avoiding all substances.
Two other porn stars - Shyla Stylez and Yuri Luv - have also died in recent weeks.
Canadian actress Shyla (real name Amanda Friedland) was 35 when she was found unresponsive at her mum's home in British Columbia on November 9.
And Yuri, also known as Yurizan Beltran, was 31 when she was found on December 15, dead of a suspected overdose when bottles of pills were discovered near her body.
She'd reached out on social media for "a hug" shortly before her death.
Ginger warns that once one high-profile performer takes her own life, it can result in 'copycat' suicides.
"Once someone in a community commits suicide it is more likely to happen to others in the community, so that could be what is happening with some of these porn star deaths," she adds.
"We need to reach out to people we know are struggling with depression and talk about it and educating people about mental health."
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