Adult performer Jesse Jane, the porn actor who famously starred in the XXX movie franchise Pirates — the most expensive adult film of all time — was found dead on Wednesday of an apparent overdose. She was 43 years old.
According to TMZ, authorities responded to a call for a welfare check at a residence in Moore, Oklahoma, Jane’s hometown. She was found dead along with her boyfriend, Brett Hasenmuller, a St. Louis, Missouri native, whose employer called in the welfare check, according to a spokesperson for the Moore Police Department.
The cause of death was a suspected overdose, with final results pending from an Oklahoma State Medical Examiner investigation. The spokesperson told Rolling Stone that no foul play is suspected, and a toxicology screening is pending.
A popular adult film performer of the early 2000s, Jane started her career in the mainstream modeling industry, participating in beauty pageants and appearing in a cameo role in Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. She is probably best known for her role in 2005’s Pirates, an adult movie distributed by the production company Digital Playground that was made on a budget of $1 million and was touted as one of the highest-budget porn films of all time. Jane reprised her role as first officer Jules in a 2008 sequel, Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge, which cost an estimated $8 million.
In addition to her role in Pirates, Jane was also recognizable for being one of the few adult actors of her time to cross over into the mainstream entertainment industry. She appeared in the 2004 reboot of Starsky and Hutch, as well as an episode of the HBO series Entourage and the Adam Sandler-produced 2011 movie Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. She also briefly dated Kid Rock and appeared in the music video for Drowning Pool’s 2004 single “Step Up.”
In 2017, Jesse Jane announced she would be retiring from the adult industry, though she briefly returned in 2019. Also in 2017, Jane spoke to Rolling Stone about the adult film star Ron Jeremy’s allegedly harassing behavior at adult film expos, stating that she had witnessed him grabbing women and touching them without their consent. Earlier this year, Jeremy was found to be unable to stand trial on numerous charges of rape and sexual assault due to “incurable neurocognitive decline.”
On social media, adult performers and veterans expressed their condolences to Jane’s family members, sharing their memories of her time in the industry. “Jesse was a mega star. She was discovered at Hawaiian Tropics contest. Even though she quickly became a porn sensation, it didn’t go to her head. She was as sweet as could be,” Alana Evans, president of the Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG), tells Rolling Stone. “I remember tearing the movie premiere for Pirates, I wasn’t in the cast, but she snuck me into the VIP balcony with the cast, so I could watch the movie with her up there. It was the first time any of us had seen anything like that on a big screen, and I remember how proud she was.”
Fri., Jan. 26, 10:52 am: This story has been updated with additional details from the Moore PD.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
