ALEXANDRIA, Kentucky — Golden Era performer Annette Heinz has passed away at 71, according to industry friends and associates.
Heinz reportedly passed away Thursday at a nursing facility in Campbell County, Kentucky — near Cincinnati — where she was being treated for a sudden illness that left her incapacitated in July.
Heinz started her adult career in 1970 as an exotic dancer at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in Cincinnati, several years before the free speech champion launched his national magazine empire.
Later, Heinz became a prominent dancer in Newport, Kentucky, performing a variety of acts including fire eating and snake charming. She later moved to New York, where she performed at the famous Melody Burlesk for years.
Heinz was scouted at the Melody Burkesk by “Deep Throat” auteur Gerard Damiano, and shot several Golden Age classics from 1982 until 1987, for video-era powerhouses like VCA and Caballero. Her titles include “Getting Ahead,” “Public Affairs,” “Sex Spa USA,” “Down and Out in New York City,” “Succulent,” “Junkyard Susie” and many others.
After her adult career, she attended Cincinnati State College and received a culinary arts degree, which led to a career as a chef in an Indiana casino boat.
Fellow Golden Era star and close friend Jeanne Silver is currently making funeral arrangements. Crowdfunding information to help with expenses will be available through Silver's Facebook page.
