Jesse Jane, Pornographic Film Star, Dies at 43

Jesse Jane, a one-time Hooters waitress and beauty pageant contestant who went on to star in the highest-budget film series in pornographic film history, was found dead on Wednesday at a home in Oklahoma. She was 43.

The cause was believed to be a drug overdose, said Lt. Francisco Franco of the Moore Police Department in Moore, Okla. He said that officers responded on Wednesday morning for a welfare check at a house where Ms. Jane and her boyfriend, Brett Hasenmull, had been staying. They were both found dead, Lieutenant Franco said, adding that the deaths remained under investigation.

Ms. Jane, with her sweeping blonde hair, high-arched eyebrows and vivacious personality, was a defining star of early 2000s pornography as the internet transformed the industry. She then crossed over into some mainstream productions.

“She was a performer during an era where adult films were seen all over the world, and the promotions were massive,” Brian Gross, a publicist for the porn industry, said in a text message to The New York Times. “She made sure that she gave her all, not only in performing, but in promotion as well.”

Jesse Jane was born on July 16, 1980, as Cynthia Ann Howell in Fort Worth, Texas, according to public records. Her family settled in the Oklahoma City area when her parents worked at Tinker Air Force Base, according to a 2006 interview Ms. Jane gave The Oklahoma Gazette. She graduated with honors from Moore High School in 1998.

Ms. Jane modeled for retailers like 5-7-9 and David’s Bridal before landing a job for a commercial with Hooters, the restaurant chain, The Gazette wrote. Eventually she worked her way up in the organization to regional training coordinator before deciding to become a full-time Hawaiian Tropic bikini model.