LOS ANGELES—Adult video director and early reality TV star Stevie Forem, affectionately known to all as Cousin Stevie, died Sunday in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a medical emergency at home on Thursday. He was 85 years old.
Forem rose to prominence in the adult industry while starring in the Showtime reality series Family Business, which followed the behind-the-scenes antics of his younger cousin Adam Glasser, better known as adult director Seymore Butts. The mainstream cable show featured Glasser, Forem and Glasser’s mother Lila, as they managed Butts’ adult production business. Forem started his adult career as a salesman for the company.
An emotional Glasser told AVN that Forem was stricken suddenly last Thursday, in his sleep, by what doctors called a “spinal cord stroke,” which left him unable able to move his arms or legs. Though he initially showed slight improvement in the hospital, prompting Glasser to hope for a recovery, Forem passed away early Sunday morning from what was likely organ failure.
“I was planning on going down there Sunday to see him again,” Glasser said. “And I did actually go down there Sunday to see him again. However, when I did get down there, the reception was acting strange and kind of delaying me, without telling me why they were delaying me. And what they were doing was waiting for a nurse to be able to come and talk to me and tell me that he had passed at, like, 4:30 in the morning.”
Family Business, which ran from 2003-2006, was an early foray into the reality genre for cable channel Showtime, as well as being ahead of its time for showcasing the adult industry. At the turn of the century, the potential of social media was just emerging, streaming adult webcam sites were in their infancy, and DVD was the dominant format for content. Anal sex was still considered a taboo topic—and was the niche for Seymore Butts’ videos. Glasser had been producing adult videos since the early ’90s and the eponymous Seymore Butts series won AVN Awards for Best Gonzo Series in 1999 and 2000.
Well-received by mainstream cable audiences whose only exposure to adult material was often on late-night cable TV, "Cousin Stevie" stood out and became an identifiable pop culture figure. He was often pictured flipping off any camera pointed at him, with a mischievous smile.
Forem also eventually produced a popular adult DVD series, Cousin Stevie’s Pussy Party, which highlighted all-girl squirt fests and featured ensembles of early ‘00s gonzo stars including Sunny Lane, Flower Tucci, Kayla Paige, Nicki Hunter, Jada Fire and Cytherea, among many others.
“He loved it. Gosh, he loved it,” Glasser said. “Because he never imagined himself in that position. ... Like a dude [in his older years] gets a job in a warehouse or something like that. But not, you know, not ending up on a reality TV show—and then becoming a director and et cetera, et cetera. That's kind of an odd path, but he loved that path and he enjoyed every second of it. Thoroughly. He was never [a perv], there was nothing, anything like that at all. He just enjoyed it. He enjoyed being around, you know, the energy of the younger people and the celebrity that he got from it, and people. I mean, he did. He loved it.”
In more recent years, Forem had been enjoying life with his bride of many years, Aimee, in their home by the beach in Marina Del Rey, California. He is survived by Aimee, his sons Mark and Keith, Glasser, Glasser’s mother Lila and sister Eve, as well as numerous friends and fans.
“Cousin Stevie was like a long lost uncle to me—very sweet and caring, with a dash of pervert mixed in,” said industry publicist Lainie Speiser. “Like the time he told me he would gift me a Hitachi Wand for my birthday that would have a photo of his face taped to the top!
“We would not only talk about the industry, but about life itself. He loved his wife and his family and friends so much. A real mensch, as we say in the tribe. He would call just to say ‘hello’ and check in with me to see how I was doing, and it made my day many times. The last time we hung out face-to-face was at NightMoves in Florida, 10 years ago. In between watching Bonnie Rotten perform, we enjoyed a giggly gossip chat that I remember clearly but cannot repeat! I love you Stevie—look up my Dad for me, will ya?” Speiser added.
“Cousin Stevie was a gem,” said Hollywood sex tape broker Kevin Blatt. “I have him to thank for my introduction to Pure Vanilla, a pre-paid value card for adult content. He became our spokesperson. He was always a character and hysterical—I hadn’t spoken with him in many years, but I have very fond memories of him and our time together.
“He once had me judge a Cousin Stevie's Pool Party and all I can say about that experience was that it was the only other time I saw an audience covered in plastic bags. The first? Seeing Gallagher at the front row theater in Cleveland, Ohio. God bless Stevie and may his memory be a blessing,” Blatt reminisced.
Former A! Entertainment radio host and event emcee Tony Batman recalled, “Cousin Stevie was a caring, ‘we can all win’ type of guy. He would always help me with advice and friendship. A big adult radio supporter, which I loved about him. We partied at the Playboy Mansion together, so, that’s like a male bonding experience in itself. He will be missed.”
UPDATE: Forem's name and age have been updated with information from Glasser.—ed. note
