We lost John Summers to a fatal heart attack on Sunday, August 22. Not only was Mr. Summers one of the great pioneers of gay porn, he was a colorful personality, and a dear friend.

Summers, along with his contemporaries Chuck Holmes, John Travis, and Matt Sterling, are often considered the creators of gay porn as we know it today. Definitely one of the most prolific directors of the 80′s and early 90s, Summers brought his fondness for young, hung blond boys to video in such XXX blockbusters as Two Handfuls, Big & Thick, Style, and White Men With Big Dicks.

Deeply saddened by the loss of his friend of 30+ years, Hot House director/CEO Steven Scarborough has many fond memories of Summers whom he credits with starting his own career in gay porn. “John introduced me to John Travis, Matt Sterling, and Chuck Holmes in the late 70s and a few years later I started working with Chuck at Falcon. We had some wild times together; John always had some hot new model on his arm. I’ll miss him very much.”

Despite his larger-than-life personality, Summers rarely allowed himself to be photographed. Below are two rare exceptions courtesy of Steven Scarborough.

Aboard Chuck Holmes private yacht The Empress I (l-r) Falcon founder Chuck Holmes, Matt Sterling, Summers, and Steven Scarborough (sometime in the late 80s).

Holmes, Brad McFadden, Falcon star Dick Fisk, unidentified model, Summers & Scarborough attending the Sylvester Concert at the San Francisco Opera House (1979).