LOS ANGELES—Colton Ford, who won Performer of the Year at the 2003 GayVN Awards, has died at the age of 62. The gay porn legend—whose real name was Glenn Soukesian—passed away from a “tragic hiking accident” this past weekend, according to a post on social media.
The sad news first broke earlier today on Facebook in a post from director Chi Chi LaRue, who worked with the performer. An hour later, another Facebook post by a friend of Ford’s shared more. Writes Tim Wood:
“With a very heavy heart I share this tragic news. While we don’t have all the details, I never would have dreamed that the photo below of Glenn Soukesian (Colton Ford) and I from 3 weeks ago would be our last. Glenn was involved in a tragic hiking accident this past weekend that took his life. He was a brilliant artist who always kept a song in his heart. Sweet, funny, kind, sassy – and hopelessly handsome. My heart is broken – it’s almost too much to take. One of my best friends, a man who helped save my life many years ago. I miss you terribly…I can’t stop the flood of tears. Sing with the angels, my beautiful, special soul. I love you.”
Further details on Soukesian’s passing are not known.
Ford burst onto the scene in 2001 at All Worlds Video. He also worked with Falcon, MSR and Odyssey during his career, which spanned 12 films through 2003. That included an appearance in Closed Set: The New Crew from legendary gay porn director Joe Gage.
"At the time I was in a corporate job and I was not happy," shared Ford in an interview with lushlifeblog. "I was bored and stagnant musically, nothing was going on so I thought what the hell. I was 39 years old and it afforded me the opportunity to leave corporate America and create Colton Ford—that I could draw attention to. I had tried it all the traditional ways, and I didn't get what I needed at the end of the day. So I figured hey, I might as well experience the insanity and see if I could create something in the process that might do something. So I went for it."
In 2005, Ford’s transition to a career in music was the subject of the documentary Naked Fame. The project also featured his then-partner Blake Harper, the two arguably the biggest gay porn power couple ever. (Harper won a GayVN Award in 2000 for Best Actor.)
"I was performing and singing ever since I could get up," Ford shared with About.com in 2005. "When I started at school, I started to get into music. I played the violin and guitar, and subsequently started singing in choirs and all that kind of good stuff. So it's just something that I always felt and I always wanted to do."
Ford also appeared in mainstream productions, including the Here TV series The Lair, and the film Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! He also performed in theater, making his off-Broadway debut in Little House on the Ferry in 2011.
Ford’s prolific career in dance music included five full-length albums, the most recent being Permission in 2023. He also appeared in Cyndi Lauper’s video for “Into the Nightlife,” and he performed in her 2008 True Colors Tour. He also worked with Grammy Award-winning Frankie Knuckles, aka “the Godfather of House music.” Ford also modeled and worked as a personal trainer during his career.
“It's way healthier to not live in your persona," Ford told Edge Media Network in 2023. "But it's an extension of me that I've been able to create and grow a brand. Entertainers that have been in the business for a while have gone through a bunch of different names, right? And I experienced that and this is the first name that I really like – [Colton Ford] is a hot name… hopefully it'll send a message to people who are younger that it doesn't stop at a certain age. You know, you can still do your thing."
Shared Rick Ford (aka legendary gay porn producer and director Dirk Yates) on Facebook: “Only the best memories of him and Blake when they appeared for us at the All Worlds resort. He was always such a gentleman and a class act.”
