Wilfried Knight, whose prolific and award-winning work in gay porn began in 2004, has committed suicide.
The French performer had a series of career achievements over the past decade, including his role in Raging Stallion’s Focus/Refocus, a 2010 GayVN Award for Performer of the Year, and a 2011 Grabby for Best Versatile Performer. As is often the case with performers of his stature, Knight’s warm, charming, and by all accounts hilarious sense of humor belied his rugged and intimidating physical presence (he was over 6’2″ and nearly 200 pounds).
Rumors as to the cause of death have been circulating throughout the afternoon, and The Sword can confirm that Knight did commit suicide over the weekend. His suicide follows the suicide of his partner just last month, the details of which Knight made public in a heartbreaking blog post last week.
Knight’s suicide also follows the recent deaths of several other well-known figures from gay porn, including Arpad Miklos last month, director John Bruno and Colt Studios’ Karim in January, plus Josh Weston, Roman Ragazzi, Adam Faust, Corbin Fisher’s Sean, Tanner Hayes, and Erik Rhodes in 2012.
It’s a shame as his blog posts seemed angry and outraged and suicide usually is something that follows apathy or just not caring about anything anymore. One would hope that his writing about DOMA etc. would be that type of writing that is cathartic and let’s some of that anger and negative energy out. Unfortunately it appears it did none of that.
On a side note, they better have a grief counselor for the non winners at this years hookies. I mean with all this going on, porn stars are dropping like flies!
I’m really saddened by this whole story. My heart goes to his friends and family.
Please allow to write in French, Wilfried was from that Country.
Le printemps a Paris sera infiniment triste, sans vous.
Vous avez souffert, parce que vous aimiez. Le Monde ne l’a pas compris.
Vous avez, prefere quitter ce Monde.
Respect face a ce qui vous a blesse, et qui blesse votre famille et vos amis.
This Spring in Paris will be forver sad without you.
Because you were in love, you suffered. The Wolrd did not understood.
You decided it was better to leave that World.
Honour to you, your family and friends.
RIP. Hopefully all of these boys will find the peace in death they could’t find in the world of gay porn. My thoughts and prayers to each and every one of you who have passed far too soon.
That is so sad he was a great guy damn
I think those who have left caustic, uncaring messages should go hang their heads in shame. Obviously they have never felt gut-wrenching loss and despair so deep you drown in it. This is a terrible tragedy, not because of who these men were, but because they were part of OUR community…the larger gay community of the world.
We are persecuted by those who say we are less than equal, in so many ways, all over the world. It is 2013, but in many ways, it could be any time in the past; we don’t seem able, as a species, to put aside bigotry and hatred for those who are different. Instead, we try to marginalize and criminalize and hurt and kill. These two men wanted to live their lives in happiness and love, with each other, as a married couple. Even Canada, where they were allowed to marry, were not allowed to remain together. Because of laws enacted by various countries, there was, ultimately, no place for them to go. This is heart-wrenching and wrong on every level. The viciousness of Wilfried’s husband’s family in siezing the estate was probably one of the final straws for him. We should not speculate about his health…we have no idea what healt issues he did or did not have at the end, but to callously chalk up his death to “another porn suicide” or something equally as ridiculous, is barbaric.
I wonder if anyone really, truly tried to help him after his lover committed suicide? Did anyone try and throw him a lifeline, into that bottomless pool of despair?
I’m not trying to marginalize anything. Death is unfortunate, but it’s an “end” that we all have to face. NONE of us are going to outrun it. These guys fucking had lunch with it. I mean, with all the shit that goes on in this world (and there is a lot of bad shit that happens), killing yourself is not a viable alternative to “make it stop”. Don’t be so fucking dramatic as to try to make this out as a gay thing. This applies to ANYONE that chooses said route. Fuck you for playing the gay card, asswipe.
I am not an asswipe, but you sir, are incredibly unpleasant! May you meet your karma!
OMG this is really upsetting, This has to stop at some point. This is one more to many gay porn star to kill themselves, I understand his loss, but
this is a problem that this keeps happening.
Tragic & deeply saddening! I met him, I liked him…he was charming & handsome, with handsome to spare! This is not only sad, but shocking. I wanna bitch-slap the dead Boyfriend who reached from the grave and handed Knight the booze & pills…WTF…like, “Here ya go Wilfred, I’m dead now…so you go ahead, drink the Kool-Aid!”. Killing yourself, then wanting your partner to follow you into death because YOUR job failed…and YOU have bitchy, scheming co-workers IS NOT MY DEFINITION OF LOVE. I’m sorry for both, and especially sorry Mister Knight was clearly too distraught to see a future past this .
This is truly sad. We have lost another brother. RIP Wilfreid.
While I feel compassion for these people who feel that it’s necessary to take their own lives, I can’t help but think that somehow all of this attention that they know they’ll get out of it compels them to do it. Every person who considers suicide thinks about the reaction among their friends, family and followers. And it’s a very lame, loserly way to go. We’ve seen the outpouring of sadness each and every time this happens, and I’m sort of over it by now. Goodbye Wilfred Knight. You could have been something, but you ended up not being much by jumping on this bandwagon.
Aaaaaaaaand, you’re wrong. Thanks for playing.
I won’t say you’re wrong, but you have a point. It is a loser-ish thing to do, but I refuse to go there. Not during this tragic time.
While I might have a view on suicide that would stir up some people, it’s pretty obvious that for the most part it isn’t about gaining attention from friends and family. I really feel that a suicide is a bit of a selfish act, where people don’t really think on how it affects the feelings of others. It is a solution to your own problem without fully acknowledging the effects it has on others.
Very sad news :((((
I’m around the same age, and I feel like my life is just starting; it is difficult to understand why he would do such a thing.
It is a shame.
And I feel the fault is with his husband, even if he blogs contrary to this. I’m assuming there was a lot more going on there than what was reported.
If I had a husband, I wouldn’t expect him to drop dead soon after I die. I would hope that person would have resolve to keep going and live a long life, and not take life for granted– to honor me. I guess I’m not selfish in that way.
I’m certain there is more behind the scenes stuff going on there, he had cancer cells removed. Maybe they came back, and he felt there was no point fighting them anymore since he was single again–and essentially starting over from scratch without career or romantic prospects. I can understand this, since it is hard. However, he isn’t the first person to have to start over before. And they didn’t kill themselves.
I don’t think it was “bullying” that caused those deaths. I think it was manic depression and possible death sentence with a cancer diagnosis. Why would he wait a month after his husbands death to take his own life?
I read the blog entry.
I understand his partner was deeply disturbed by how he was perceived to have been treated at work but I find it difficult to believe someone could be so affected by what others think of him or treated him that he felt the need to take his own life.
We all suffer the slings and arrow of outrageous fortune but to let other peoples’ treatment or opinions of you drive you to suicide is just too extreme of a response. I don’t want to place blame because I can’t get into someone elses head but such action seems shallow and self-absorbed.
As for the marriage thing. For centuries, gay men have lived together without having a piece of paper to validate their relationship. Again, I can’t understand why they let the opinions of others rule their lives.
Mr. Knight was a porn actor but these deaths don’t seem to be driven by life in the porn industry. They seem to be affected by their inability to take action, seek alternative solutions, and their sensitivity to criticism.
It’s a shame neither of them had the power to say, ‘fuck it, I don’t care what other people think. I don’t need the validation of others to validate my life.’
They had each other and they should have been able to get through this together. Their failing was in giving people the power to judge them.
These deaths were senseless.
Reading is comprehension.
Reread the blog entry and maybe you will comprehend that neither death had anything to do with what others thought.
Your reply is senseless and void of compassion.
RIP Wilfried
So sad to read that month after month those guys decide to commit suicide: life can be hard sometimes but there is no need to destroy ourselves.
I hope Wilfried and his busband will be now bond together, forever.
I think it is a bit different from other suicides in the sense that it is not connected to him being a porn star but to him not able to overcome the loss of his partner (and all the consequence stress as told by his blog entry).
Sad but one thing I did was tell Lululemon that I am boycotting thier asses you can give them your own feedback here:
http://www.lululemon.com/feedback/?mnid=ftr;send_feedback
Dear God, not another one.
Some people’s trajectory in life is this. They cannot do anything but the “inevitable” conclusion, despite friends and families wishes to help. Some people don’t want help and they take these measures instead. They have a biological clock that is fucked up. And they cannot change their biology even with pharmaceuticals.
Is he the first person to commit suicide? No. Is he the first porn performer to commit suicide? HELL, NO!
I envy the love….wait. I can’t. I won’t. I don’t understand how people give up. Life sucks. A LOT sometimes. But to give up?! Kill yourself?! That is cowardly. I can’t respect anyone that takes that way out. I hope all those that loved these individuals somehow manage to get through this tragedy.
Officially, I now find all of this very disturbing. I wish people had the help they needed at the time they made these decisions and acted upon them.
For Wilfried and Jerry.
So SHOOOOCK!!!
o no, poor thing. I just watched his and arpad’s scene today thinking how beautiful the two were. may he rest in peace.
Rip beautiful man!!
It’s weird. Every time a porn star/model dies I come here because Zach (despite every other post he makes!) always manages to be respectful, informative and truthful in his obituaries. It’s usually his journalistic super power.
My heart goes out to Mr Knight’s friends, family and people who knew and worked with him. They must be going through the perils of the damned right now – and no human being deserves that.
From the little I know about the man, he was a good person. He shouldn’t have killed himself. But grief is one of the most corrosive, toxic emotions that we can experience. It destroys you.
If anyone here is reading this and contemplating suicide, don’t do it. Keep breathing. You’re stronger than the world has made you think. No matter how much life hurts at the moment, you can live through the pain. And understand that you’re a better person because of it.
Good night Wilfred. You’re missed and blessed.
I guess I understand how if you lose your partner you feel despair – his choice had little to do with porn and more to do with the situation he found himself in.
Wilfried was in the very first porn dvd I ever rented. He was a great performer and the blog post that was linked in this article was very poignant. Rest in peace Mr. Knight.
Very sad. I have lost too many friends. My heart goes out to all who knew him personally.
Oh my god..another loss. He just retired like what 4 months ago?
Another loss via suicide, these beautiful men from the industry are dieing and it keeps getting sadder.
He was only 35? I thought he was way older even though he was attractive.
Actually, he said on his webpage that he really was 38. What a tragedy and senseless because the laws hopefully will be changing.
I don’t watch a lot of porn, but I really like Wilfried and from everything I saw from him off-set, he seemed very soft spoken and had a real presence about him. But I read Wilfried’s blogpost he made after his partner Jerry died. And all I can really say is how tragic it was to read, he was really pouring his heart out.
Until homophobia in society decreases somewhat (which includes companies like Lululemon not blatantly discriminating against a gay employee and the USA not having any semblance of legal/social equality) I honestly expect suicide in the LGBTQ community in general to continue to occur in pretty alarming numbers.
RIP, Wilfried, and Jerry. And my heart goes out to all who knew and loved both men.
Yes, Francis…..people, look at the real reason behind this: HOMOPHOBIA (via LULULEMON) and the need to turn over the DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT – DOMA (and it’s ban of same sex partners immigrating to the U.S.) Take the time to read Wilfried’s blog entry on his partner’s suicide and you’ll have your eyes opened. AND YES everything he says about the sick cult like coporate environment of LULULEMON is true. I worked briefly in their very first NYC store a few years back. And from Wilfried’s report, they still have the same practices of “drink the Landmark Koolaid or be marginalized, then voted off the island.” This is especially true if you are older than 25 (I was 41 at the time) and gay. I quit on them after three months when I realized how completely full of it and totally un-yogic they were. Even though I had more yoga practice, knowledge, experience and could sell more of their stupid plastic pants than the combined staff of that one store, I could see my pink slip coming and quit. It’s a truly tragic story about Wilfried and Jerry, and one WE as gay men should be absolutely outraged about. DOMA sucks and needs to go! And we should call out any company that puts on mask of psuedo liberalism that treats us less than anyone else.
je suis triste aujourd’hui car wilfried c’est mon cousin,pour moi il sera toujours le petit garçon qui était un petit frère pour sa soeur qui nous emb…..les 3 cousines car plus agées,repose en paix et soit heureux avec Jerry que je ne connaisais pas.
Very sad, I got to meet him personally. What’s going on people, please stop suicide, there is always a way and a solution for everything.
Oh god…
The man was gorgeous in person, funny, smart and seemed, to me anyway, like a nice guy. His blog post was sad and disturbing. What kind of boyfriend indirectly asks his partner to die with him?
I just don’t get it… There need to be more resources so these young men can get help when it’s most needed.
Yeah. I am glad I am not the only one who feel uneasy with the “leaving a bottle of pills behind” bit. Looks like he tried (and succeeded) in guilting him into killing himself.
I don’t wanna pass judgement because we don’t know what was going on here and maybe Knight would have anyway but that is one creepy thing to do. If he wanted them to die together, why not talk it out? That passive aggressive way of doing it is … I dunno. I don’t find that story as poignant as it is disturbing.
But the underlying sentiment is saddening and RIP to both those souls.
The sad possibility is that it might not have mattered whether his boyfriend left him an invitation to join him. Wilfried was probably so distraught he might have taken it upon himself…
Sorry to hear. Sounds like he was in a lot of pain and it is too bad he didn’t have enough support around him. Awful.
Holy Shit. That’s one I really didn’t see coming.
I love you Willy! Thank you for all the wonderful memories… you are always so much fun. I’m going to miss your dog dance. Gawd, I wish this wasn’t true…been hoping all day for someone to say “just kidding” but doesn’t look that way :(
It breaks my heart to know that my boys are hurting so much to end their lives… i’m sorry.
big hugs & love forever…
mr. Pam
I wonder if anyone read the blog post last week and realized he was planning on following his husband’s footsteps and commit suicide. Personally I’m against suicide, but I honestly don’t really blame him for his choice. For a couple to struggle so hard to be together like that? It just shows how unfair the world really is. Somehow, I’m roughly reminded of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, except that this is a romance that has spanned over 8 years. And for the sister to take EVERYTHING and leave nothing for the widowed husband?
Excuse me. I don’t think that it was romantic what they did. His husband should have considered other options, instead of dragging everyone down with him.
“…dragging everyone down with him.”
I’m going to attribute this comment to anger/frustration over the issue and (try) not apply it to your actual view on suicide.
Devastating news. What a beautiful man and so sad regarding the circumstances with his partner. RIP
*Sigh
Rest in Peace my friend.
It’s getting harder to stay focused on Biz..
No one knows what goes on inside the head of people who do porn. Maybe people who leave those mean comments will have some compassion on this post.
He was a nice guy, soft spoken
Another Porn brother gone….Wow`
I don’t the blogs are to blame for this. By his last post it was the people in their private lives who were the ones giving them nasty comments. I don’t ever remember ever seeing one person utter a bad thing about Wilfried, maybe about the industry in general, but not one that was aimed directly at him.
Well, that took a whole ten seconds before someone blamed it on the ‘haters’.
He didn’t blame it on the haterz… He said he hopes people won’t be trolls on this particular post.
Diesel- we love you, don’t ever forget it! This is Scott Alexander’s BF, we met at several events, and I love who you are, your craziness, and your work! You made a great point about black men and the inequality and diversity that exists in porn. If you EVER are thinking you are not worthy or good you better call me or Scott A!
Sad news to hear. A great performer, and never a controversial one. Never read a bad thing about him.
Terribly tragic.
Beautiful man, so obviously in love with his partner Jerry and so saddened by his recent death. Rest Together in Peace.