Adult Film Star Jessica Jaymes Dead at 40

On September 17th, renowned adult film star, Jessica Jaymes, was found unconscious in her Sothern California home by her business partner. Law enforcement sources say that they responded to the call made to emergency services at 4:15 PM and that she was later pronounced dead at the scene. 

While the actress was known to have a history of seizures and some have speculated about that being related to her death, the official cause remains unknown.  The Los Angeles County Medical examiner has completed the autopsy of the late pornstar and says that her remains have been released to her family. However, the cause of death is still listed as “deffered” pending the results of several tests, including the toxicology report.  

There were multiple prescription bottles collected from her home for testing as well. Those tests are also still pending, though that has not stopped tabloid speculation that Jaymes may have died as a result of these drugs. 

Jessica Jaymes was reportedly born Jessica Michael Redding in Anchorage, Alaska on March 8th, 1979.  Her mother was of Czech/French descent, and her father worked in law enforcement, specifically as an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). She attended New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell before graduating from Rio Salado Community College in Arizona with an associate’s degree in Art.  After graduation, she taught 4th-6th-grade students for 3 years. According to her website, she also enjoyed playing classical piano.

In 2002, she switched gears and made her adult film debut. She pulled her screen name from her lover at the time, who was named James. Her big break came in 2004 when she became the first contract model for Hustler Video. 

She wracked up many accolades in the porn industry throughout her 7-year career, including Hustler Honey of The Year 2005,  Penthouse Pet of the Month in August 2008, Best American Starlet at the Delta di Venere in 2004, and was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2008, she co-founded her own porn studio called Spizoo.  This is a growing trend amongst porn actresses, as it allows them greater control over their careers. She appeared in over 230 adult videos throughout her career

While she is primarily known for her acclaimed work in the adult film industry, she also garnered a broader audience through appearances in more mainstream programming. She was cast in a recurring role on the Showtime series, Weeds. She was also featured in a number of reality shows including VH1's Celebrity Rehab Sober House, HBO's Vivid Valley, and The Howard Stern Show.

Following her death, there has been an outpouring of sympathy on social media sites like Twitter from within the industry. Fellow pornstar, Romi Rain said that Jaymes was, “one of the nicest big-name girls.” Cam girl Alana Evans said she was “Just broken over this.” Richelle Ryan wrote, "Another angel taken too soon.”  Porn studio, Brazzers, wrote: "Today we are deeply saddened at the news of Jessica Jaymes' passing. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends for this devastating loss."  Hustler tweeted that she was "a bright light & a powerful force within our industry…” adding that, "Hearing of her passing left us all with heavy hearts, a deep sadness, and fond memories.” Spizoo, the studio she co-founded, tweeted "She was the most kind and generous person you could ever meet, creative and energetic, real and honest, a true star,” from their official account.  The list goes on and on. Clearly, Jaymes will be missed by fans and colleagues alike.  

The final social media post by the actress herself was a post on Instagram shared on September 11th. It included her final naked selfie, with her arm tactfully crossed in front of her breasts, so as to avoid being taken down by Instagram censors. In the post, the xxx star shared that she had taken a holiday, but she said “I love you all” and that she hoped that fans were “having the best sex time of their life.”  This seems to be a fitting final message from the sex-positive starlet. 

Source: Instagram

Unfortunately for fans, as of September 20th, Jessica Jaymes Instagram has been deactivated.  It is unclear whether it has been taken down by Jaymes’ friends and family, or by Instagram itself. Either way, as of now the account home page only displays this disappointing message:  ‘Sorry, this page isn’t available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram.’

It should be noted that, like with many actresses, there is some conflicting information regarding Jaymes’ age. Many new outlets are reporting that she was 43 years old, while other’s state that she was 40.  We at Coupons, have opted to report the lower number, given the lack of consensus.

While Jessica Jaymes was tragically taken from us too soon, her work lives on. You can see her on the Spizzo Network and her official site, Jessica Jaymes XXX. She will clearly be missed.