On Tuesday, the world of adult film was shaken by news that up-and-coming performer Olivia Nova had passed away at the age of 20.
Nova’s body was discovered by Las Vegas police over the weekend, but news of her death did not go public until two days later, when authorities could be certain that her family had been notified.
Sadly, Nova’s is the latest in a succession of adult film actresses to pass away prematurely in recent months.
In December, well-known star August Ames took her own life after being bullied online for her allegedly homophobic views.
In the weeks prior to Ames’ death, performers Shyla Styles and Yurizan Beltran passed away due to
Given her youth and the recent rash of deaths it’s been widely assumed that Nova’s death was related to addiction or mental illness.
Now, several sources are reporting that there was no sign of foul play, and Nova’s death does not appear to be the result of natural causes.
Not surprisingly, fans have concluded that Nova (real name Lexi Rose Forte) either took her own life or accidentally overdosed.
However, it may be quite some time toxicology results can begin to offer a more complete picture of the actress and model’s final hours.
“Test results usually take about 6-8 weeks,” an investigator involved with the case tells Radar Online.
Nova had reportedly struggled with depression throughout her life, a condition that was exacerbated in recent months by a series of personal setbacks.
In early 2017, Nova revealed on Twitter that her boyfriend had fatally overdosed on heroin (she tweeted that he’d “killed himself,” leading some fans to the conclusion that she believes he intentionally took his own life).
“Rest In Peace love…. it seems like we were cuddling in bed all day with the puppy eating pizza and watching movies yesterday. Im not ready to say goodbye to you yet….” she captioned the above photo.
The death came not long after a car crash that left Nova with serious facial injuries that left the future of her modeling career in question.
It could be months before police have any definitive answers with regard to what substances were in Nova’s body at the time of her death and what may have motivated her to ingest them.
In the meantime, her family is asking for the support of Olivia’s many fans, as they cope with the financial burden of planning a funeral and getting her affairs in order.
Olivia’s mother, Leslie Forte, has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of planning a funeral and traveling from Minnesota to Las Vegas to retrieve Olivia’s beloved dog and gather her belongings.
“We are asking that friends and loved ones of Lexi rally together to support her family during this time of need, whether it be by prayer, good vibes or a monetary donation,” the page reads.
“Leslie must now travel to Las Vegas to sort through and pack Lexi’s belongings, retrieve Lexi’s beloved dog, Rocko, and finally, bring Lexi back home to Minnesota.”
The family hopes to raise $ 8,000 to cover expenses.
Olivia had more than 20,000 Twitter followers, whom they hope will show their support for the beloved performer one final time.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
