LOS ANGELES — Retired performer Alicia Rio passed away on Jan. 17 at the age of 51, according to industry friends who spoke with family members.
Rio was a prominent performer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, gracing several iconic box covers in the VHS and DVD eras with her signature buxom brunette looks.
Born in Mexico, Rio grew up in Pasadena and entered the adult industry in 1992. Her IAFD page shows over 300 titles for top studios of the era such as Heatwave, Moonlight, Gourmet, Caballero, Las Vegas Video and a plethora of others.
Describing her beginnings in the industry, Rio told an interviewer that after graduating from Cal State with a degree in finance, she worked in government in the San Gabriel Valley as deputy city treasurer. After being passed over for a promotion, Rio said, she answered an ad in the L.A. Express for nude modeling.
“I didn't quit my job,” Rio told the interviewer. “I did adult movies for about three months, still working for the city. So, I was conservative, and wore glasses in the day, and then Alicia Rio wild and crazy at night, for about three months. Then I decided to really make the big jump and quit my job. But, it was normal. I'm literally made for this business.”
After a hiatus in the late '90s, Rio returned in 2002, shooting for Elegant Angel, Vivid, Wicked and many other studios until the mid-2000s. In 2005, Rio received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Free Speech Coalition.
Rio was also a prominent, in-demand feature dancer billed as “the Latin Queen of Erotica.” Last November, when a fan praised her adult work on Twitter, she replied, "Thank you so much! I enjoyed all of my performances!"
In 2020, friend and rep James Bartholet reported that although Rio “no longer does traditional studio shoots in adult, she produces her own indie content and has also been in talks with mainstream companies for their projects.”
"I will always be thankful to the adult industry,” Rio said at the time. “I have so many good memories of working with all of these companies and performers, but mainstream is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”
"My ultimate dream is to be in a feature film with Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek," she added, "where they meet their girl crush — me."
