Who was August Ames and how did she die? Porn star who starred in hundreds of X-rated videos found dead at 23
AWARD-WINNING porn actress August Ames' death at the age of 23 plunged the adult industry into shock.
Here's the lowdown on the X-rated star, and how her fellow stars paid tribute to her following her tragic passing.
Who was August Ames?
August Ames, real name was Mercedes Grabowski, was an adult film star who performed in more than 270 X-rated flicks.
The actress, born in Nova Scotia on August 23, 1994, was raised in a military family and started working in the business in 2014.
Last year she won the 2016 Vixen Angel AVN and Cutest Newcomer in 2015.
She was married to adult film director Kevin Moore, who confirmed the news of her death.
In the run-up to her death, Ames was branded a "homophobe" after writing on Twitter about not shooting a scene with an actor who had performed in gay porn.
The 23-year-old wrote: "NOT homophobic. Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety.
"That’s just how it is with me. I’m not putting my body at risk, i don’t know what they do in their private lives."
She later tweeted that she "loved the gay community" and that "none of her intentions were malicious" following a social media backlash.
A month before she died, Ames sent poignant messages to one of her closest friends who had suffered bullying online.
She told fellow porn star Keisha Grey: "Hey I hope you’re doing well!
"I’ve been depressed and it seems like ppl are being d***ks and I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me if you ever want to."
When did August Ames die?
On December 6, Ames' husband Kevin Moore confirmed that she had died in Camarillo, California.
He said: "She was the kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me.
"Please leave this as a private family matter in this difficult time."
The cause of her death has been confirmed as asphyxiation due to hanging.
Her heartbroken husband said in a harrowing blog post his wife killed herself just one day after receiving a torrent of sick online abuse.
Kevin told of how his world "was instantly shattered" and revealed that life without her "is a cruel existence devoid of colour".
He wrote: "She took screenshots of everything. All of the bullying. It is all there on her phone, including many of the tweets that have since been deleted. She left it for me to find.
"If you fire a gun into the air and that bullet randomly hits someone that you never intended to kill, you still killed them."
Ames' brother has said online bullies cost his younger sister his life. James, still in shock over the news, told Sun Online he blamed bullies for his sister’s death.
"I want my sister’s death to be recognised as a serious issue – bullying is not ok," he said.
"It cost me my baby sister’s life."
Industry members took to Twitter to pay tribute to Ames as news of her passing spread.
American star Abella Danger, 22, wrote: "She was the most kind-hearted person ever.”
Producer Jules Jordan tweeted: "Rest In Peace to August Ames, one of the best, nicest people I ever knew in the business."
And director Mike Quasar said: "Love one another kids. 23 is way too young. Such a sad day."
Official reports state Ames left a suicide note.
August is one of four adult actresses to pass away in recent weeks along with Olivia Nova, Yuri Luv and Shyla Stylez.