John C. Holmes, widely recognized as a prolific pornographic film star and a figure deeply entangled in the infamous 1981 Laurel Canyon murders, passed away on Saturday night at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Sepulveda. He was 43 years old. Associates confirmed his death on Sunday, marking the end of a controversial and complex life.
While a hospital administrator declined to specify the cause of death, rumors of Holmes battling AIDS and undergoing extended hospitalization had been circulating. Adding to the ambiguity, William Amerson, a pornographic film producer and distributor with a long-standing professional relationship with Holmes, had previously stated in June that Holmes was suffering from colon cancer, not AIDS. Amerson also mentioned that Holmes had undergone surgery in October 1986 to remove a malignant tumor.
Amerson, while confirming Holmes’ death, expressed deep emotion and declined further comment, stating, “I can’t talk. It’s kind of an emotional time.”
Known as “the King” of X-rated films, John Holmes’ career spanned from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Bill Margold of West Hollywood, a longtime associate and co-star in several of Holmes’ films, estimated that Holmes appeared in over 1,000 sexually explicit movies and peep show loops. Margold emphasized Holmes’ pioneering role in the adult film industry, declaring, “He was the pioneer in X-rated films. There’s only one king.”
On screen, John Holmes cultivated an image of inexhaustible virility, famously claiming to have had sexual encounters with thousands of women. The early 1980s sex film, “Exhausted,” was even loosely based on his purported life. His final film, “Hollywood Confidential,” was produced two years prior to his death.
Los Angeles writer and film critic Kenneth Turan noted Holmes’ pride in his profession. According to Turan, “Holmes was very much proud of his work. He liked what he was doing.” In Turan’s 1974 book, “Cinema,” Holmes asserted that well-made pornography possessed a more enduring impact than mainstream films, stating, “No emotion is stronger. It’s a lasting thing.”
In stark contrast to his on-screen persona, John Holmes reportedly kept his film work separate from his personal life. His former wife, Sharon Holmes of Glendale, who divorced him in 1984 after nearly 20 years of marriage, revealed that she never watched any of his films. “He knew it was not something I was particularly happy about,” she admitted, “But he said the money was good.” At the height of his career, Holmes commanded a substantial $2,000 per day.
Sharon Holmes also disclosed that in the late 1970s, her husband struggled with drug addiction. “He got into drugs heavily,” she said. “He lost control of what he’d been doing–lost control over his films, his life.”
Born in Ashville, Ohio, John Holmes enlisted in the Army before completing high school and served three years in West Germany. Following his military service, he held various jobs in Southern California, including ambulance driver, warehouseman, and door-to-door salesman. His entry into pornographic films likely began with posing for nude photographs to supplement his income, which subsequently attracted the attention of a sex film producer. By the 1970s, John Holmes had solidified his status as a prominent X-rated star, working both domestically and in Europe.
Despite collaborating with numerous leading figures in the adult film industry, Holmes apparently maintained a distance from his colleagues. Associates indicated that he had few genuine friends within the industry and generally did not socialize with the women he performed with. Margold commented, “He was virtually friendless by his own decision.”
Intriguingly, just weeks before his death, Los Angeles police re-interviewed John Holmes in his hospital bed regarding the unsolved 1981 murders of four individuals on Wonderland Drive in Laurel Canyon. This re-interview, though police remained tight-lipped about its specifics, was believed to be prompted by the emergence of a new witness in the long-cold case.
John Holmes’ connection to the Wonderland murders was significant. In December 1981, after several months of hiding, he was arrested in Florida and charged with the killings. Although prosecutors argued he was directly involved in at least one of the slayings, a jury acquitted him. Subsequently, Holmes served 111 days in jail for contempt of court after refusing to identify the perpetrators, citing fear for his life.
Sharon Holmes believes the Wonderland murders will forever remain unsolved. “He told me he could have told (police) everything,” she stated, “But he wanted to stay alive.”
John Holmes is survived by his mother, Mary, residing in Ohio; two brothers, Edward and Dale; a sister, Anna; and a stepbrother, David. His death closes a chapter on a controversial figure whose life intertwined fame, fortune, and the shadows of unsolved crime.
