Legendary porn star Harry Reems has died at the age of 65, report the New York Daily News.
The adult actor, who starred in 1972's "Deep Throat," died on March 19 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Reems' friend Don Schenk first reported news of the porn actor's passing, revealing that Reems, whose real name was Herbert Streicher, began to suffer health problems due to peripheral neuropathy and emphysema a few years ago, and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this past summer.
Despite months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the cancer continued to grow. According to Schenk, Reems entered a VA Hospital on March 5, suffering from liver failure, and later kidney failure as his body began to shut down. Reems was in a coma for four days before he died on Tuesday afternoon.
Reems initially got into the porn industry after he found himself too broke to afford his $38.37/month New York apartment, and would go on to perform in more than 100 hardcore movies, he revealed in a New York magazine interview in 2005.
According to Us Weekly, Reems was arrested in 1974 for conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines, and is the only actor to date to be convicted of obscenity charges, though it was later overturned.
Schenk wrote that Reems lived a hard life, finding himself homeless and suffering from alcoholism, until he became sober in 1989, and found a new career selling real estate.
"Harry went from living a bizarre lifestyle, though a 180 degree almost miraculous change to find a Higher Power he called God, and become a truly nice guy who cared for others, and helped a lot of people in Park City, UT," Schenk wrote.
Related
Before You Go
