HALIFAX, Nova Scotia—Adult transgender MILF Tasha Jones, a 13-year veteran of the adult industry, passed away on Saturday, May 12. She was 35 years old and had been performing in adult videos and web scenes since 2005. The cause of her death has not yet been disclosed, but it had been rumored that she had suffered from several health problems over the past few years.
Tasha did most of her performing in her native Canada, working for companies such as Mayhem North Productions and canada-tgirl.com, though her most recent feature was 2017's Squirting Man for Kennston Productions. She also did several scenes for Christian XXX's CX WOW Productions. Tasha owned TgirlRadio.com, which she used to host her podcast On Air With Tasha Jones, as well as TashaJonesProductions.com, but nothing new had been added to those sites in several years. Strangely, her most recent tweet was apparently earlier today, though we suspect that may have been pre-scheduled.
"She was a beacon of light and kindness in our industry," observed Kristel Penn, publicist for Grooby Networks and several transgender stars. "She offered her insight and resources without qualification to girls just starting out in the industry. When Dan and I traveled to Toronto for the Feminist Porn Awards, she met us with open arms and took care of us while we were in town. I often affectionately told her how she was one of the nicest and most genuine people I had ever met and we’d laugh about how, in that way, she was very Canadian. Seeing her at the TEAs each year was always a bright spot of my weekend. She always had a warm hug waiting for me whenever I saw her. We’re so lucky that Tasha’s path crossed with ours and are so grateful for her friendship throughout the years. I’m so thankful for the time we spent together in Toronto, at the TEAs, at DragCon, and at the AIDS Walk in 100-degree heat in West Hollywood."
In fact, Jones was one of the Transgender Erotica Awards sponsors in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and was nominated for two awards in 2014 and 2015—Best Scene and Best Internet Personality both times—and two in 2016, including Best Solo Model, Best FTM Scene (with Eddie Wood), and Best Scene (for Club Tasha). She also attended at least two of RuPaul's DragCons in Los Angeles, signing autographs at the Grooby booth in 2015.
"Tasha signed at our booth all weekend and introduced herself to every person who walked by," noted Penn. "She signed photos, she chatted with people, and was such a great presence to have in our booth. She certainly made the time go by faster!"
"I’m shocked," said Grooby owner Steven Grooby. "I knew Tasha had medical issues but I didn’t appreciate that it became this serious. She’d always been one of the coolest, most genuine, and hospitable models I’ve known and despite having first appeared with us in 1999, I’d only gotten to know her within the last few years. She came out to Los Angeles to participate in the AIDS walk with us a couple of years back and she was just a very open and honest individual. My condolences go to her husband and family."
"On behalf of Grooby, we’d like to send our deepest condolences to Tasha’s husband and her family," Penn wrote on the Grooby.com website, and asked those who knew Tasha to share their thoughts and memories on the Grooby Forum.
UPDATE: The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) has issued the following statement regarding Tasha Jones' death:
"The adult industry mourns Tasha Jones, a Canadian performer. She is remembered for her kind, open, and genuine personality. APAC extends our deepest condolences to Jones’s family and community.
"We kindly remind our community that mourning, coping, and healing is seldom a linear process. We ask you to be gentle with yourselves, to take space and time as needed, and to lean into the communities to which you belong. In this difficult time, APAC urges performers to make space for self-care and reach out for professional counseling if needed.
"For sex worker friendly mental health resources, click here."
