LAS VEGAS—Transgender performer Tegan Toxik, aka Tegan Last, died by suicide on March 22, according to a statement released by Grooby founder Steven Grooby on the studio's website. She was 35.
A fundraiser has been set up on crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to cover funeral and memorial expenses for Toxik, as well as assist her surviving partner with any existing debts and living expenses while making whatever changes are necessary in her housing arrangement. To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
"It always comes as a shock when someone so young, with so many friends and who seemed to be moving forward with her life, ends it so suddenly and tragically," Grooby wrote in his statement, recalling that he first met Toxik in 2017 at a photoshoot for that year's Transgender Erotica Awards. "I know she was well liked among the community, and many models counter her as a friend—as seen by their many tributes and celebrations of her left on social media. Tegan was a disabled veteran of the Army, having served in Afghanistan and had been living in Las Vegas in recent years, where she had many friends and was part of the trans adult community, co-creating content as well as working on her own content."
He also noted, "She worked with us the Friday before her death, with producer Radius Dark, who described her as 'one of the sweetest, nicest people I've met in the industry."
Added TransErotica director of operations Dan Hogue, "We are all hurting and are confused with this loss of a friend. There is an emptiness among many. We may never know the reason why. There is help for those that need it. Let the overall message be to seek assistance! Never be afraid to ask for help, reach out to a fellow performer or colleague. There is also anonymous resources available in Pineapple Support and other trusted folks in the industry that would always drop what they are doing and make time for you."
Concluded Grooby, "All of us at Grooby pass on our love, our respect and condolences to her partner, her family and her friends, and to the many performers who worked with Tegan. I'll continue to remember her as that sweet, lovely girl I met sitting on the sofa at the TEA photoshoot."
Friend Ophelia Ratcliff, who organized the GoFundMe campaign, wrote on its page, "Tegan was passionate, enthusiastic, as eclectic in her taste as she was in love with the experiences and people she cherished the most. Her love, unrestricted; Tegan could not help but to create, to learn and share her passions with all she met. Meeting new people, making new friends was Tegan's way, leaving all she encountered with an undeniable sense of her unbound sweetness.
"Tegan had an unwavering love for music and was drawn most closely to those who shared an appreciation for free expression, creativity and perhaps most importantly, laughter," Ratcliff continued. "Those who knew Tegan, knew laughter and were forever blessed to hear hers. ... She had a brilliantly creative mind and, despite challenges, brought those creations to life. She was intelligent and charismatic. ... She had a way of making people smile, be it humor, presence, personality, or compassion, it all seemed effortless to her. ... No matter the medium, her artistry showed through. I watched her demonstrate true craft in her music, drawing and painting, only to pick up something new for fun and excel in whatever it was she adopted. ... She made a clear and positive mark on the people around her and affected all of us in a way we will cherish for the rest of our lives."
Starting in professional porn in 2016 with a scene for Grooby's Femout series, Tegan Toxik amassed a total of 14 credits on adult database IAFD.com over the course of her limited performing career, nearly all of them for Grooby. She also maintained a somewhat active clip store on ManyVids.
Photo of Tegan Toxik courtesy of Grooby
