PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Billy Herrington, one of the leading gay porn performers of the 1990s, passed away on Friday. He was 48.
Herrington's mother, Kathleen Wood, disclosed the death of her son on Facebook, stating, "It is with a heavy and broken heart that I want to let everyone know, my son Billy Herrington has passed away."
Producer and director Chi Chi LaRue shared on social media that Herrington died after a Friday-morning car accident.
“I’m sad to say, Billy unfortunately died as a result of a terrible car accident,” she said on Twitter.
Herrington, a New York native who stood at 6’1”, started in adult after his girlfriend submitted photos of him to Playgirl magazine. The pictures won him a "Real Men of the Month" contest and a $500 prize
His pics were later eyed by Jim French, Colt Studio’s founder and photographer Jim French, who gave him his shot in porn. Herrington performed for numerous gay porn studios, including Colt, All World Video and Pacific Sun.
He even appeared on several mainstream TV shows, including "Love Connection" and the "Ricki Lake" talk show.
Following his porn star career, Herrington continued to model and do striptease shows at gay clubs. He also became an internet sensation in Japan by accident. After finding himself a meme on Japanese file-sharing websites, such as NicoNico, Herrington started being known as “Big Brother” (“aniki” in Japanese) by a newfound Japanese audience.
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