Jesse Jane, a popular adult film actress from the early 2000s, has died. She was 43.
According to Oklahoma City’s KOCO 5 TV channel, Jane — whose real name was Cindy Howell — was found dead alongside her boyfriend due to apparent drug overdoses.
Police officers conducted a welfare check on Wednesday (Jan. 24) when they found the two people unresponsive. No foul play is suspected, though the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner has yet to determine an official cause of death.
Jane began her career as a model for retailers such as 5-7-9 and David’s Bridal. She starred in a commercial for Hooters and eventually worked as the restaurant chain’s regional training coordinator, before becoming a full-time model for Hawaiian Tropic, per the Deccan Herald.
In 2002, she signed a contract with porn production company Digital Playground. Shortly after, she appeared in the Showtime reality series Family Business, which followed the life of porn star and director Adam Glasser. Jane later joined industry peer Kirsten Price in hosting Night Calls on Playboy TV as well as the network’s Naughty Amateur Home Videos.
Jane also took up hosting gigs at several adult film award shows, including the AVN Awards in 2006 and 2013, the F.A.M.E. Awards in 2007 and the XBIZ Awards in 2008 and 2011.
However, she is best known for her work in the high-budget (and award-winning) Pirates franchise. Digital Playground spent $1 million on the first film in 2005 and $8 million on the sequel in 2007, according to The New York Times.
“She was a performer during an era where adult films were seen all over the world, and the promotions were massive,” Brian Gross, a publicist for the porn industry, wrote in a text message to The New York Times. “She made sure that she gave her all, not only in performing, but in promotion as well.”
In her transition to Hollywood, Jane made a cameo appearance in the 2004 reboot film Starsky & Hutch, the TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding and the HBO series Entourage. In 2009, she also appeared in Bad Girls Club.
After retiring from porn in 2017, Jane reportedly moved back to Oklahoma, where she lived a quiet life with her family.
“I miss it! I always had fun performing on camera,” Jane told GQ in 2018. “It’s great sex with great people and it always turned me on that people watched me.”
