LAS VEGAS—Legendary adult performer/director and AVN Hall of Famer Randy West died Friday at a hospital near his longtime home in Las Vegas as a result of kidney and heart failure. He was 76.
Michael Mark, a longtime friend and his business manager since 1994, announced West's passing on social media, saying he was “....writing this post through heartbreak and tears as my dearest friend and true Brother, Randy West, has begun his climb up the Stairway to Heaven to join his folks and friends who have left before him.”
Born Andy Abrams on October 12, 1947 in New York, West’s lengthy career began with a non-sex appearance in 1977’s Emanuelle: Perche Violenza alle donne? (aka Emanuelle Around the World). He followed this up two years later by venturing into adult as the stud in 10 minute film loops like Pleasure Productions Film 255 by VCR opposite Samantha Fox and Vanessa Del Rio.
John Stagliano, founder of Evil Angel, which distributed West's movies for many years, told AVN, “I did strip shows with Randy in 1980. He was to me the first really good looking guy who could perform well in the porn features shot then. And he could act! He added producing and directing in Dirty Debutantes then did his own lines, one of which was Up and Cummers, which specialized (like Dirty Debutantes) in the same thing—interviewing and shooting new girls. This was a big fad in the early '90s. I also shot him several times in features—he was good! He had a great reputation among us directors. This he did with no medical assistance; he was a true hero to us porn fans.”
West appeared in well over 1,500 adult releases from 1977 to 2010, including 129 volumes in his flagship Up and Cummers line, where following a brief interview, he also performed with almost every girl—so his actual number of scenes was considerably higher. He shot both amateurs and new performers, most notably the first appearance of Jenna Jameson in Up and Cummers 10.
West was blessed with a ruggedly handsome face, athletic body, a permanent suntan thanks to much time spent on the golf greens, and an undeniable ability to perform. He was in strong demand for many companies.
“I first hired Randy to be in my scripted features,” Dirty Debutantes producer and star Ed Powers recalled. “He was a great actor, could do every scene verbatim. He was also a dedicated golfer. If there was a lull for a few hours in shooting, he would take off and play a few rounds—and always made it back on time.”
West pursued his love of golf until his health literally put a stop to it—four years ago, he had a serious heart attack while golfing, followed by another that left his heart functioning at a greatly reduced capacity. A bypass helped, but his energy level was never the same.
West was special to Powers and did perhaps 40 scenes with him as one of The Nasty Bros (video hosts/performers) in the Dirty Debutantes series. “We remained friends over the years and he used to send me jokes all the time—until recently when they stopped coming,” Power said.
Powers traveled extensively with West, and together they shot in places like Asia, Amsterdam and France. “We decided he needed his own series (Up and Cummers), which I distributed for the first dozen or so in the series,” Powers explained, “and then we agreed to move it to Stagliano, who had better distribution.”
Randy West and Ed Powers at the 1995 NightMoves show
West was also a strong presence at the annual AVN Awards Show. AVN Awards director Gary Miller remembers that “…when the show first began it was hosted by Paul Fishbein, then Rick Savage, and for three wonderful years (1992-1994), Randy West was the host. Proving that, along with his performing popularity and great memory, he could hold the audience enthralled, he would sing, with a comedic edge, lengthy songs that consisted primarily of porn titles. I remember part of the lyrics for one included 'Let’s take a walk through Juranal Park, where it’s nice and warm and always dark.'"
One of Miller’s favorite memories was of West joining he and his brother, Mark Stone, at a Dodgers game in L.A. where they sat close to the dugout.
Paul Allen, publisher of NightMoves Magazine in Tampa and producer of the annual NightMoves Awards Show, recollects of West: “He first came to our second award show, in 1994, and became part of the NightMoves family. He will be missed.”
Hank Armstrong, performer and former husband of the late Anna Malle, was a long-time friend who also lived in Vegas and kept in close contact with West. “For the last 90 days he was very winded and unable to get around. I ran all of his errands and was his caretaker. He lived in a very nice house that I sold him 20 years ago when I was a realtor. He died a few days after being admitted to the hospital,” Armstrong said.
In 2017 a book about West was being written, titled Look at Me – A Jewish Guy in the Porn Business!, but it was never finished due to the untimely death of the writer that year.
West was also a part of the documentary series Life After Porn.
AVN Hall of Famer Micky Lynn remembers West fondly. “I will never forget meeting him in Jim South’s office and working with him in several features in the '90s like Radical Affairs, Video Magazine 3 and Anus the Menace, where he played the prodigy of Denise the Menace," Lynn told AVN. "Randy was such a kind, funny person, but most of all, a one-of-a-kind actor who was a true pleasure to work with—love ya, buddy.”
Powers added the parting comments: “I really admire Michael Mark and Hank Armstrong for taking care of him. Also, remember, while Randy was one of the Nasty Bros on camera—he was even more so off camera.”
Never married and with no children, West very comfortably retired in 2012 thanks to successful investing of his video profits, and he rarely showed up in person for any industry events after retiring in Vegas. He is survived by a sister and nephew in Florida, and a cousin in California.
Photos by Dirty Bob
