LOS ANGELES—AVN Hall of Fame executive Bob Christian, the beloved former general manager and producer for Adam & Eve and board member for the Free Speech Coalition, passed away on Feb. 16 in North Carolina, his longtime friend and colleague Luc Wylder confirmed Monday.
Christian, who retired from adult in 2020, last year was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and had recently been in hospice care, Wylder said.
“He was my friend—truly above and beyond business—we enjoyed each other’s company,” Luc told AVN. “Bob and I were on a search for the greatest BBQ’s in the galaxy and every time he would come out to LA we would go to a different BBQ place and compare notes. That was our mission.
“He was the quintessential professional in the industry. He represented integrity and ethics in a way that I don’t think anyone else did.
“So it wasn’t just about making a picture with Bob, it was really about why are we making this picture and how will we make it and how will people be cared for? Will our standards and conditions all be met? With Bob, there were things above and beyond just the profit margin. And that was one of the things I took the greatest pride in working with Bob, that he and I basically had the same vision.”
During his 24-plus years with the Hillsboro, N.C.-based industry giant, Adam & Eve, Christian held leadership roles in just about every facet of the company—from accounting to the robust retail division. In addition to being the GM, the versatile exec also had titles such as Director of New Business Development, New Business Manager and executive producer.
"Bob was the guy who was behind so many of [Adam & Eve's] really big movies over the years," Wylder said.
He started working with late PHE/Adam & Eve co-founder Phil Harvey 10 years prior to joining the production side, becoming a key figure in Harvey’s direct marketing vitamin operation and then later for DKT International, the non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention.
A Duke University undergrad, Christian got his MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
“The world has lost a treasure,” said AVN Hall of Fame performer Alexandra Silk, who is Wylder’s wife. “This one hurts real bad.
“May we all carry on with a little bit of Bob C. in us.”
AVN Hall of Fame director Will Ryder, who had worked closely with Christian on dozens of projects in the past two decades, told AVN, “Bob was our biggest champion at Adam & Eve supporting us deeply in our movie projects. Without Bob, we’re not on Showtime, we’re not producing in our third decade and we’re not what he helped us become. He was so very easily liked and I appreciate him very much and I’m very sad to see him go so soon after he retired.”
Wylder said when Christian found out he had cancer last year that he reached out to him.
“He gave me a phone call and basically it was a call to say goodbye before he was no longer able to say goodbye. It was one of the hardest calls I’ve ever taken in my life,” Luc told AVN.
Christian also loved to play the drums. He was in a band that entertained at various events such as weddings.
“He was very proud of his drumming,” Wylder said. “He loved jazz.”
Luc added, "We were all very close. The one thing that Bob and all of us looked forward to was the seven chakra hugs."
Christian is survived by his wife and two children.
