Porn star Josh Weston, real name Chad Jason Hull, is dead at the age of 39.

According to Gay Porn Times, Weston died on December 16 at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he was being treated for complications related to HIV.

“Adult superstar Josh Weston succumbed to HIV-related complications on Sunday, December 16,” gay porn studio Hot House wrote in a blog post. “He was 39 years old. Weston started his career in 2001 as a Falcon exclusive, starring [in] some of their biggest hits from the early 2000s. After leaving that contract [he] went on to work with other studios, including Hot House, where he headlined our hits Trunks 3 and Communion. Always warm and funny and ready to laugh, Josh was loved by many and will be missed by all.”

After graduating from college in Nevada, Weston headed to California to work as a personal trainer. He was discovered by famed adult film director Chi Chi LaRue while dancing at San Francisco's Nob Hill Theatre.

In 2006, Weston told Lavender Lounge that he was proud of his porn career.

“As for difficulty in being in porn, I'm always surprised that many people think that if you do porn it's because you had no other options in life, last refuge of the scoundrel,” Weston said. “I could have been anything in the world I wanted to be, and I'm doing exactly what I want.”

He added that people also incorrectly assume that porn actors are dumb: “Just because I get double fucked on camera doesn't mean I can't conjugate a verb.”

In addition to working for mainstream gay studios, Weston performed for outfits which do not require the use of condoms, including Spunk, where he headlined the 2008 film Josh Weston Bareback.

Other adult film stars who passed away in 2012 include Roman Ragazzi, Erik Rhodes and Adam Faust.