Gay Performer King B. Dies

ATLANTA—Performer King B., who appeared in a handful of gay adult scenes between 2012 and 2015, passed away last Friday, September 4, in his hometown of Atlanta. He was 25. The majority of King B.'s adult appearances were for Next Door Studios' website NextDoorEbony.com, though he performed in productions for Hard Friction/Raging Stallion and Entertainment West Studios as well. He also worked as a stripper and appeared in a 2013 episode of web reality series Tha Life Atlanta under his real name, Mehran Chestnut, during which he discussed his dabbling in adult entertainment. Though the cause of the actor's death remains undetermined, Atlanta-based gay news website ProjectQ.us reported Thursday that he died in the early hours of September 4 in a room at the Hyatt Atlanta Midtown hotel that he was sharing with another man he'd met online the previous day. According to the report, the other man called 9-1-1 when he discovered Chestnut unresponsive at around 6:30 a.m., with a bottle of "Black Max" poppers in his hand. Police are not treating the death as a homicide, the report said. Friends and family members have indicated in social media posts that Chestnut suffered from grand mal seizures and that he had recently lost his job and found himself with no place to live. ProjectQ reported that a memorial service for Chestnut is scheduled for September 19. Photo courtesy of King B.'s Facebook page.