Colton Ford, known outside of the gay adult film industry as Glenn Soukesian, reportedly died on Monday, May 19 at 62 years of age. One day later, Ford's friends and industry peers have begun to share social media posts confirming his death and mourning his loss.
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From Pasadena, CA, Ford was born in October 1962 and only started working as an adult film star in 2001, at age 40.
Ford's career in porn lasted 22 years, with credits ranging from 2001 to 2023. High-profile collaborations included adult film studios and platforms such as Falcon Studios, MRS Releasing, RawFuckClub, All Worlds, and Mustang.
In 2003, Ford became an early recipient of the coveted GayVN Award for Gay Performer of the Year — a tie between Ford and fellow adult film star Michael Brandon.
Chi Chi LaRue, a famous drag entertainer who's also known for directing gay adult films (as Larry David Paciotti), wrote on Facebook:
"I'm So Shocked and Saddened to Hear and Report the sudden passing of my friend and Icon Glen aka Colton Ford! You will missed! Keep Singing In Heaven!"
Tim Wood, a friend and industry peer of Ford's, wrote in a Facebook post:
"With a very heavy heart I share this tragic news. While we don't have all the details, I never would have dreamed that the photo below of Glenn Soukesian (Colton Ford) and I from 3 weeks ago would be our last. Glenn was involved in a tragic hiking accident this past weekend that took his life. He was a brilliant artist who always kept a song in his heart. Sweet, funny, kind, sassy - and hopelessly handsome. My heart is broken - it's almost too much to take. One of my best friends, a man who helped save my life many years ago. I miss you terribly… I can't stop the flood of tears. Sing with the angels, my beautiful, special soul. I love you."
Fellow adult film star Dallas Steele shared an emotional tribute not only recalling Ford's legacy, but also their personal bond. Steele wrote in an X post:
"It is with great sadness, I share word of the passing of my friend Glenn, who you may have known as porn star and singer Colton Ford. Few details have been shared, but sources say he died from an accident on a hiking trail in Palm Springs.
I met Glenn when he first moved to Palm Springs a few years ago. Though he 'retired' from shooting commercial studio porn, I asked him to do an OnlyFans with me, and he agreed. We had a wonderful, hot, and meaningful experience together. He was a very deep, caring, thoughtful person.
In 2022, Glenn performed at several of our charity pool parties. The crowd loved his vocals, engaging energy and sex appeal.
In 2023, Glenn asked if I'd appear with him in a series of mid-century modern style gay erotic photos with him and a man way younger than both of us. It was a wonderful day with photographer Jay Jorgensen. Sadly Jay took his own life a few months later. But I'll never forget the fun we had on-set that day together.
Glenn was such an amazing spirit. Always thinking about what he planned to do next. Always optimistic about the possibilities. I will miss him and his great smile."
Screenshot of Dallas Steele's tribute to Colton Ford shared via X/Twitter.
X/Twitter (@DallasSteeleXXX)
Matthew Rettenmund, author of the 1995 novel Boy Culture — which was turned into a film in 2006 starring Patrick Bauchau, Darryl Stephens, Emily Stiles, and Derek Magyar — also shared a Facebook post reiterating Ford's passing and re-sharing the news shared by LaRue and Wood.
Though he was been best known for his work in the gay adult film industry, Ford was also an actor and musician.
His acting roles included projects like Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!, The Lair, and The Next Best Thing, per IMDb. He also appeared as an actor/model in Cyndi Lauper's 2008 music video for "Into the Nightlife."
Ford released plenty of original music, too. Overall, his studio albums included 2008's Tug of War, 2009's Under the Covers, and 2013's The Way I Am. He also dropped EPs like 2011's Let Me Live Again / The Music Always Gets You Back and 2014's Next Chapter.
Ford's most recent song, "Handle It," came out in May 2023. He subsequently released his (now final) album, "Permission," in October 2023. Over the years, some of Ford's biggest hits were "Let Me Live Again," "All My Love," and "Just the Way I Am."
The latter included Cazwell as a featured artist in both the song and music video.
Ford had thousands of followers across social networks like Instagram (@therealcoltonf), X/Twitter (@therealcoltonf), and Facebook (@ColtonFordMusic).
On Facebook alone, Ford had an audience of 136,000 fans and followers. He also maintained an OnlyFans page (@coltonford) for a few years, but the profile had already been taken down prior to his passing.
Ford's very last social media posts across all social networks was shared on Monday, April 28, via Instagram and X/Twitter. In the posts, the adult film star promoted a recent interview he did on Tim Murphy's Substack, The Caftan Chronicles, published on Sunday, April 27.
The interview was titled, "Colton Ford Is a Giver And Desires to Receive in Return."
This story is still developing…
