LOS ANGELES—Retired adult star Shyla Stylez, an AVN Hall of Fame performer, passed away suddenly Thursday. She was 35.
Stylez was found unresponsive in bed by her mother, who was visiting her from her hometown in British Columbia, said James Bartholet, who did some of Stylez's publicity when she was still active in adult.
The cause of Stylez's death was unknown at press time.
"We have so many great memories of working with her and hanging out with her and we want to hold onto and remember the good times," Bartholet said. "We're deeply saddened by the loss of Shyla and our condolences go out to her family in this very sad time. She went quietly with no pain and we know she's in a better place."
Born in the small town of Armstrong, B.C., Stylez amassed almost 500 performing credits in a career that started in 2001. She was among the first contract girls for Jill Kelly Productions, where she signed an exclusive deal in the summer of 2002. She stayed with JKP—a one-time juggernaut which later dissolved—until 2005 when she took a hiatus from adult, returning in 2006 for another extended run headlining dozens of titles.
While the majority of her credits came in the early to mid-2000s, Stylez continued doing select movies until 2016, working for nearly every major studio in adult entertainment in the process.
Stylez’s body of work includes multiple performances for Jules Jordan Video, Evil Angel, Brazzers, Hustler, New Sensations, BangBros and Anabolic Video, where she made her porn debut. She was discovered by fellow Canadian star Erik Everhard, who worked with her in her first sex scene for Anabolic’s Perverted Point of View 3.
Everhard, who is based in Prague now, was in Budapest today when he received the news.
"Shyla was one of a kind," Everhard told AVN. "From the moment I met her at 18 I knew she was special. I feel guilty in a way bringing her down to LA. She was one of the most genuine girls if you knew her, a real Canadian. For as pretty as she was she was always very down to earth. I nicknamed her the 'tornado' for how crazy and whimsical she could be. But she truly did have a heart of gold.
"We stayed friends all these years, even when I moved to Europe she was one of the few who hit me up to see how I was doing. She really was a sweetheart who would do anything to help those she cared about. 'Mandy Pandy' was a big part of my life. She was one of the few that really knew me. I'll never forget her. It's so sad."
A notorious hardcore performer who was a 2003 nominee for AVN Best New Starlet, Stylez performed in the second volumes of Jules Jordan’s AVN Award-winning series' Ass Worship and Flesh Hunter, and in the first volume of his classic oral line, Feeding Frenzy. She did a whopping 57 scenes for Brazzers between 2006-2013.
"Shyla was one of the performers pivotal to my success," Jordan told AVN. "She was one of a kind who gave her all on camera. She lived life to the fullest and on her own terms. I definitely consider her legendary in the early 2000 era."
In her breakout year in 2002, Stylez appeared in Snoop Dogg’s groundbreaking crossover rap/porn movie Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp (2002) for Hustler Video and landed a non-sex role in John Stagliano’s epic film The Fashionistas for Evil Angel.
A 2016 inductee into the AVN Hall of Fame, Stylez also acted in a handful of Hollywood B-movies as Amanda Auclair, receiving screen time in Alabama Jones and the Busty Crusade, Sexual Suspects and Call Girl Wives, among others.
Ivan, the head of production for the Puba network for sites, used to work closely with Stylez on her official site.
"I loved doing stuff with her," Ivan told AVN. "I remember every moment I spent with Shyla. The shoots, the events, the night she made me deep-throat a champagne bottle. She was such a cool person and was one of my biggest supporters, always promoting me and sharing my work. She will be deeply missed. I truly enjoyed all my memories with her and will cherish those moments."
Will Ryder directed Stylez in the comedic features Flight Attendants and Cockpit Cuties.
"To me she was a charismatic performer that would've fit nicely into any era including the Golden Age of Porn, the glamorous Vivid era of the '90s superstars and where she actually was in the 2000s," Ryder told AVN. "She was ultra sexy and lit up the screen, but what I remember most is how nice she was to me every time I saw her. That's the type of quality I don't forget in a porn star. I'm sorry to hear this sad news."
AVN has reached out to more of her colleagues and will continue to update this story.
