CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Industry veteran Bobby Rinaldi, perhaps best known for directing the wildly popular Screw My Wife Please!! series from Wildlife Productions, where he also served as production manager for many years, passed away in his sleep Friday night, according to reports from close friends Saturday afternoon via social media sites Twitter and Facebook.
Rinaldi got his start in the business in the late '90s as president of Tight Ends Productions, Wildlife's original incarnation and the birthplace of the Screw My Wife Please!! series. Aside from that flagship franchise, he directed many others including Girls Home Alone, Pussy Playhouse, Handjobs and Dirty Newcummers.
In recent years, Rinaldi branched out into the sexual enhancement sector of the industry as co-owner of Narra Distributors, the company behind Nite Rider and G-Spark arousal pills for men and women. Rinaldi was representing Nite Rider at the 2013 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, where he spoke to AVN senior editor Mark Kernes about his experiences attenting the convention over the years. Read his comments here.
Actor Dave Cummings, billed "the oldest man in porn," said Rinaldi had directed him in more than 100 scenes for the Screw My Wife series and other movies.
"We started working together in 1994 or '95," Cummings said. "And believe me when I tell you, he was one of the good ones. We have a lot of good people in this industry, but he was really, truly one of the very good ones."
Cummings said Rinaldi was always talking to everyone as if they were a long-time friend. He would discuss his family, his love of the N.Y. Mets and more.
"He treated everyone genuinely nice," he said. "Not because he had to, but because that's who he was. His sets were always a lot of fun. They were warm and there was always a lot of good banter."
The news of his passing, Cummings said, was hard to hear.
"I've been in combat. I've been in Vietnam. I've been behind the Iron Curtain," he said. "And I've never had chills as much as I had when I heard the news that he had passed in his sleep."
Mara Epstein, who owns Maia Toys and is a long-time veteran of the industry, said she remembers Rinaldi always smiling.
"I knew his from the early video days, and I knew his dad well," she said. "They were always nice and genuine. Bobby was always smiling and talking about his family."
Mike Kulich, owner of Monarchy Distribution, said he was just starting out at IVD when he met Rinaldi.
"He was a real pioneer," he said. "He was the one who really started the whole cuckolding genre."
AVN will report further details pertaining to Rinaldi's passing as they become available.
