Gay porn star Erik Rhodes wrote that he
felt “left out” and “alone” before his death last week at age
30.
News broke that the exclusive model for
Falcon Studios was dead in a tweet from his own account: “Erik
Rhodes has left us this morning at 5:30am his family and boyfriend
Riccardo are in deep pain, please respect this sad moment.”
Rhodes too, it would seem, was also
hurting before his death.
The
New York Times reported that the 6-foot-4 258-pound performer
died in his Manhattan apartment from a heart attack.
The paper also quotes Samuel Colt, a
gay adult film star and a friend, as saying that Rhodes tested
positive for HIV a few years ago.
According to Colt, Rhodes discovered he
was positive when he went to shoot a scene for Randy Blue.
“They said, 'Your test results came
back, and you're HIV positive,'” Colt told the paper, then added
that Rhodes filmed a solo scene for Randy Blue that day.
Colt also said people would often
criticize Rhodes for using steroids: “People faulted him for doing
steroids, which was the thing that allowed him to be the ideal they
wanted.”
Just weeks ago, Rhodes, who was known
for his outgoing personality, posted online, “I feel so left out …
so alone.”