FLESHBOT: Japanese pornstar Masaki Koh, arguably one of the most inspirational and legendary Asian stars in recent history, has died at the age of 29. Although the official cause of death has yet to be announced, Koh’s partner, Tien Tien, revealed the performer had several surgeries last month from a ruptured cecal due to peritonitis.
Appearing in his first hardcore gay scene in 2009, Koh had starred in hundreds of gay titles since and quickly became a role model for gay youth struggling with sexuality in the traditionally conservative Japanese culture. Unlike many of his fellow Asian performers, Koh lived openly and embraced his work in the sex industry by opting not to have his face censored and appearing at live events in Taiwan, China, Thailand, and Paris.
A gay Fleshbot fan in Japan writes in about the groundbreaking work Koh had accomplished:
A rarity in the Japanese gay porn industry, he was a very vocal person, not afraid to show his face and be proud of his sexuality. In an industry when many performers still ask to have their faces blurred or covered up, he was one of the few men in recent times to become a full-fledged star. He was even commented on in news articles, and was featured in Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki’s video for “How Beautiful You Are”, which featured him kissing another man onscreen, still a rarity in the Japanese media.
Many in Japan are very shocked by his death, not only because he was so young and handsome, and outwardly so healthy, but because of his friendly and open personality, which made many of his look up to him as a sign of a more positive future for gay men in the country.
I was hoping for a long and happy career for him, so it is a big shock to me that he’s gone.
May you rest in peace
I think that he could be safe with his boyfriend so they would need a condoms for sex to be safe important .
An important voice for gays in Japan. Though being gay has been legal in Japan since the late 19th Cen., it carries a widely held social stigma. He was breaking down widely held social barriers with his young, fresh personality in a nation where gays still hide. His appearances on mass media, rare for gays in Japan, was changing public perceptions. Multiple news sites report he died from acute peritonitis from a burst appendix. He reportedly tried home remedies to avoid surgery that would leave scars that might hurt his porn career. A standard laparoscopic surgery would have left him with three tiny 1/4″-1/2″ scars easily fixed with plastic surgery. Peritonitis left untreated for more than 48 hrs quickly approaches a 100% fatality rate. Very acute pain should never be ignored.
Robt. L. Stevenson said: “Vanity dies hard; in some obstinate cases it outlives the man”. IF the reports are true, he died for his vanity’s sake…what a waste of a beautiful man. Hopefully his BF will continue his important work. Yasuraka ni nemuru!
very hot and sexy
God rest you Aki-san..