Porn Star August Ames Found Dead at Age 23 After Enduring Online Harassment

The prolific adult superstar likely committed suicide.

August Ames
IMDB

August Ames—real name Mercedes Grabowski—was an incredibly active porn star until her death on Tuesday, December 5, at the age of 23. 

The Canadian-born Ames, who starred in over 270 movies, was found dead in Ventura County, California. While the Daily Mail reports the medical examiner hasn’t issued a cause of death, it’s likely she committed suicide based on protracted harassment accusing her of being a homophobe.

Ames tweeted the following on Dec. 3:

There was an almost immediate backlash, and Ames tried to respond:

Ames was reacting out of a common concern in the porn industry perhaps left over from the early days of AIDS, when stars generally stayed away from “crossover” performers out of concern they might contract HIV. 

She also challenged accusations of homophobia by pointing out her own same sex attraction.

A post shared by August Ames (@msmaplefever) on

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August Ames’s final tweet was the day before she was found dead.

There was immediate reaction on social media from accounts representing porn outlets like Brazzers as well as from longtime veterans of the industry such as Jenna James.

https://twitter.com/jennajameson/status/938637463844618241

The Blast reported that Ames did deal with “longterm depression” and the harassment may have been a catalyst pushing her toward suicide.

Ames had a witty online presence on Instagram, which doesn’t allow porn or full-on nudity. It seems right to remember her as she presented herself there—confident and comfortable with who she was and the work she did. 

🖤🖤🖤

A post shared by August Ames (@msmaplefever) on

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well i’m wide awake, hby?🧡

A post shared by August Ames (@msmaplefever) on

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I used photoshop on my face but you miiiight still hit it if you saw the real deal👌🏽👅

A post shared by August Ames (@msmaplefever) on

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RIP.

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