Joey Stefano

Joey Stefano, the stage name of Nicholas Anthony Iacona, Jr. (January 1, 1968 - November 26, 1994) was an American pornographic actor who appeared in gay adult films.

Joey Stefano grew up in the Philadelphia area (Chester, Pennsylvania). His father died when he was 15. After several years of prostitution and hard-core drug use in New York City, Stefano moved to Los Angeles and quickly became a star in gay pornography. In addition to his good looks, his persona as a "hungry bottom" (sexually submissive but verbally demanding) contributed to his popularity.

His image and success caught the attention of Madonna, who used him as a model in her 1992 book Sex.

During his lifetime, he was the subject of rumors (some of them spread by himself)[citation needed] regarding his relationships with prominent entertainment industry figures who were known to be gay. At a May 1990 dinner and interview with Jess Cagle (Entertainment Weekly) and Rick X (Manhattan Cable TV's The Closet Case Show), Stefano discussed an alleged series of "dates" with David Geffen, who at one point implored Stefano to quit using drugs. After the videotaped interview appeared on Rick X's show, OutWeek Magazine "outed" Geffen, who went on to announce his homosexuality at an AIDS fundraiser.

He was HIV positive. According to a subsequent biography Stefano died of an overdose of cocaine, morphine, heroin, and ketamine at age 26 in the shower of a motel on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. His body was taken back to Pennsylvania where he was buried next to his father.

Stefano's life is chronicled in the book, "Wonder Bread and Ecstacy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano" by Charles Isherwood, Alyson Publications, 1996. His life is also the subject of a one-man-play, "Homme Fatale: The Fast Life and Slow Death of Joey Stefano", by Australian playwright Barry Lowe.