The world of adult entertainment was rocked by yet another tragedy this week.
Multiple sources have confirmed that actress and model Olivia Lua was found dead on Thursday.
She was just 23 years old.
While authorities have yet to confirm the cause of Lua’s death, her agency, LA Direct Models issued a statement claiming that she was the victim of an accidental overdose:
“Olivia joined LA Direct Models in April 2017, though had not been available for work since early October of last year, as she had been facing some personal challenges that had seen her in residential rehab for a period of nearly three months and from which she had been out for about a month, hoping to make a return to work in the early part of this year,” the statement reads.
“We learned today that she had returned to a different facility in West Hollywood after a relapse, approximately a week ago, at which she was found deceased this morning.
“Family and close friends [said] they had deep concern at the volume of prescription drugs prescribed to Olivia and the danger this posed [to] her. If this was mixed with recreational drugs or alcohol, it is believed this to be the cause of her passing.”
The cause of death suggested by Lua’s agency has not been confirmed by authorities investigating her passing.
Sadly, Lua is the fifth adult film actress to pass away unexpectedly in recent weeks.
News of her death comes just one week after the world learned that performer Olivia Nova was found dead in Las Vegas.
She was just 20 years old.
Nova was also represented by LA Direct Models, a coincidence that the agency addressed thusly:
“The coincidence that both of these models chosen stage names is Olivia is solely that and they otherwise have no connection. We actually do not think they had ever met.”
Just weeks before Nova’s death, adult performer August Ames took her own life, seemingly in response to a targeted online harassment campaign.
The past three months have also seen the unexpected deaths of adult actresses Shyla Stylez and Yurizan Beltran.
The cause of this sudden string of tragedies remains a mystery.
The adult film industry is now being urged to organize an outreach program to address mental health and addiction issues that seem to be plaguing performers more than ever these days.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.