LOS ANGELES—Former adult director Robbie Fischer has passed away, industry friends confirmed this week.
The cause of Fischer’s death was not known at post time, but he was believed to be in his late 50s.
A no-frills, gonzo porn specialist, Fischer was one of the first exclusive directors for Red Light District, getting his start in adult in 2002 through one of the original owners, Dion Giarrusso.
Fischer went on to shoot multiple volumes of Red Light District titles such as Young Tight Latinas, Assault That Ass, Me Luv U Long Time, 1 Dick, 2 Chicks and 1 in the Pink 1 in the Stink between 2002-04.
In mid-2004 he began shooting for Anabolic Video, helming Bring Em Young 17 and Double Stuffed 5, among a handful of other titles.
Friends said Fischer made a living as a personal trainer after leaving the porn biz around 2007.
Veteran director and videographer Sal Genoa remembered the East Coast native as a unique character who was a fitness buff and adamant about time management.
“He was militant about his time to the hour,” Genoa told AVN. “Like he’d say, ‘I got 5 miles in this morning, I had a breakfast burrito, now I’m going to shoot my anal scene and then I’m headed back to the Westside and going to the gym.'
“He wore a tank-top every day of his life. He was really into working out.”
Genoa continued, “And he had this list for pretty girl pictures—this numbered list. He would say to the girl, ‘OK, give me a 39… Give me a 26,’ like he was ordering a sub sandwich. But they were these various poses on his list. He had this New York accent like a guy out of The Goodfellas and he always wore knee pads to shoot because he wanted to get down and get those shots.
“Everybody knows about his pretty girl pictures. … He was just a cool dude. He got the work done and made a lot of money for Dion at Red Light because he could just pump the stuff out.”
Genoa also recalled how Fischer always wanted the girls to wear “cotton panties” for the shoot.
John Strong, an industry go-to performer since 1998, told AVN he and Fischer spent countless days on the set in the early 2000s.
“Back when we worked for Red Light together we saw each other almost every day for work and then we’d go eat together. He was a great guy, a funny guy,” Strong said. “He was very into sports and very regimented. He was very serious about fitness, always in great shape. What can I say? I’m going to miss him.”
Strong said he had not heard from Fischer in a few years.
“He was living over there on the Westside in Santa Monica and taking care of his mom," Strong continued. "We were planning on getting together and grabbing some food but it never happened. And now I kind of feel bad because now I’m never going to get a chance to sit down with him and talk about the good old times.”
Strong added, “He liked everything punctual. If we were shooting at 11 o’clock we knew we wouldn’t be waiting around much because everything was on point. He liked order.”
