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Jon King (1963 - 1995)
Deciding that he was "going places and doing things he'd never done before" John Gaines and his then-lover came to Los Angeles while on summer vacation in 1980, with plans to go back to school in Florida after he had finished having fun. This changed when his lover got a job and the two young men decided to stay. Eventually John picked up a guy cruising who turned out to be none other than Jamie Wingo, who had an appointment later that day with a photographer. John tagged along to the interview, and was soon on his way as an adult film performer. His start in adult films came with the 1981 film Brothers Should Do It, where he was billed as Jon King, the younger brother of J.W. King. Though the two strongly resembled each other, they were not related. He next appeared in Biker's Liberty, with Kristen Bjorn, Printer's Devils, and These Bases Are Loaded, again with J.W. King. Later, he would complain that the man who helped him get started in the industry, Daniel Holt, was a "psycho" who screwed him over for money. In 1982, just as he was at the seeming peak of his popularity, he stole and wrecked a car, and for this spent eleven months in prison. Jon would later prove relunctant to discuss his time in prison to interviewers, only saying that "it wasn't fun," particularly since his twentieth birthday was spent behind bars. Making a comeback in 1983, Jon King continued to appear in films and videos throughout the 1980s. Among these were Big Summer Surprise; The Biggest One I Ever Saw (with Lee Ryder and Rick Donovan), Fade In; Fade Out; Hot Off The Press; Hotel Hell; Inevitable Love; Perfect Summer; Screen Play (again with Lee Ryder); Studhunter; Trick Time (with Tim Kramer); Tyger Tales; and Wild Oats. One of his most memorable scenes was in a hot tub with veteran adult star Kip Noll in 1984's Kip Noll - Superstar. During this time he also had numerous short-lived relationships with other adult film stars, including Kristen Bjorn and, according to some reports, Steve York and Giorgio Canali. He also developed something of a reputation as a difficult performer, getting into arguments with directors and becoming jealous of some co-stars during sex scenes. His popularity, however, remained as high as ever. Around 1989 Jon retired from the business and moved to Atlanta, where he attended culinary school and later worked as a chef, though he is also said to have continued moonlighting as an escort. He made a second comeback in the early 1990s, appearing in Wild Country; and the sequel These Bases Are Loaded 2. His last video, Pump It Up, came out in 1995. Jon King had been HIV positive for a number of years and soon after completing Pump It Up became extremely ill with AIDS. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to live with a friend who looked after his needs. Later, he was checked into Santa Fe's Hope House Hospice. It was here that Jon King died from AIDS complications on 8 March. He was cremated and his ashes mixed with those of his beloved dog, who had been hit and killed by a car just two weeks earlier, then scattered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of his native Florida. Jon King's tight, boyishly muscular body, combined with his thick black hair, deep dark eyes, and a youthful innocence and vulnerability made him very popular with most everyone who saw him. He was often described as a gentle, loving person, who sadly spent his whole life searching for a lasting happiness which he never found. When asked about his popularity, John Gaines commented that being recognized and approached in public as Jon King actually made him uncomfortable, and that he had even quit going to gay bars for that reason. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, " he once said of the admiration he received, "I just want to be myself." Jon King's credits include Brothers Should Do It (1981); The Main Attraction (1981); These Bases Are Loaded (1982); Printer's Devils (1982); Members Only (1982); Falconpac 30: Biker's Liberty (1982) (re-released as "Biker's Liberty, 1983); Kip Noll - Superstar, Part 1 (1984); Wild Oats (1984); Trick Time (1984); Studhunter 1 (1984); Screen Play (1984); Hotel Hell (1984); Hot Off The Press (1984); Inevitable Love (1985); Getting It (1985); The Biggest One I Ever Saw! (1985); Tyger Tales (1986); Gotta Have It (1987); Perfect Summer (1988); Butt Boys In Space (1990); The Best of Jon King (1990); Fade Out (1991); Fade In (1991); Boys On Call (1991); Solid Intake (1993); Latin Tongues (1993); Wild Country (1993); These Bases Are Loaded 2 (1994); Midnight Run (1994); Forever Hold Your Piece (1994); and Pump It Up (1995). Jon King Videography
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