Kagney Linn Karter dead: Award-winning porn star and Penthouse model dies 'by suicide' aged 36

Kagney Linn Karter, a porn star who shot to stardom in the industry in the mid-2000s, has died aged 36. The adult film actress died on Thursday (February 15) in Cuyahoga County due to suicide, TMZ reported.

The showbiz outlet said Kagney 'took her own life', according to a representative for the Parma Police Department. Her death has also been confirmed by her friends who have now launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe on behalf of her mother, Tina.

Kagney appeared in numerous adult films and shows over her extensive tenure, establishing herself as a highly acclaimed figure in the adult entertainment industry. She received recognition through prestigious awards such as the AVN awards and received various other accolades for her contributions.

Beyond her involvement in adult entertainment, she also pursued modelling opportunities, notably for Penthouse, and showcased her talents as a dancer in exotic clubs.

The fundraising page was launched by friends Rachel and Megan, owners of a fitness studio that Kagney would apparently frequent in the Cleveland, Ohia area. They said the cash raised will go towards what Tina has spent for Kagney's burial, including memorial services. The page has a goal of $8,000 and it has raised just over $7,000 at the time of writing.

They said on the fundraising page: "Kagney was a woman who wore many hats; she was a performer, a singer, a dancer, a daughter and a friend. She first came to our Cleveland studio in November of 2019, freshly moved out of LA, rearing and ready to jump back in to pole, in a brand new community where she knew no one and no one knew her.

"The fact that she was the new kid on the block didn't bother her in the least. She immediately warmed to the studio and all the students with an effortless grace, and it soon felt as if she had always been a part of the studio, from the very beginning."

They said Kagney then set up her own studio in Akron, with the birth of Alchemy Pole Fitness - the first pole studio in the area. They continued: "Another couple hats added: now she was a small business owner, an instructor, and an integral part of our Ohio pole community."

However, her friends said, Kagney struggled with mental health issues as the years passed "despite all of her many impressive accomplishments and talents". They said: "Even in her darkest days, however, she still showed up to the studio, always ready to learn, contribute, better herself in whatever small way she could manage.

"As alone as she undoubtedly felt within the confines of her own head, she continued to make an effort to show up for her friends and the community who cared about her. She fought her own battles with the same tenacity and drive she showed in every other area of her life, with as much strength as she could. Her final class with us was February 7th, less than two weeks before Kagney tragically took her own life in her home."

One of her last posts on Instagram, where she has over 700,000 followers, shows her holidaying on a beach in Florida, smiling in her pink bikini. She wrote: "Hi from Florida".