Industry Veteran Sean Barnett Passes Away

LOS ANGELES—Adult industry veteran Sean Barnett, the founder and chief content producer of SinfulSolos.com, passed away Sunday in Las Vegas. He was 38. Barnett suffered a stroke last week and had been hospitalized since Wednesday, his mother Linda told AVN.  She said her son had not been to a doctor in 10 years and “it all basically came to a head.” “They found a lot of underlying health issues that should’ve been addressed long ago,” Linda said. SinfulSolos.com, which launched four years ago and features high-end glam content from scores of leading adult stars, was “Sean’s baby,” his mother said. “He was a photographer. He was the editor. He did the filming. He did everything for that site.” Sean didn’t settle for anything less than the best, Linda added. “He was very stubborn,” she said. “We were talking about that earlier. That’s what made him who he was. If he thought he was right he would fight to the end and he wouldn’t give in no matter what. “He was very kind. He would do anything for anybody. We ended up taking a lot people in because of him. … We have a six-bedroom house here and we’re like The Inn.” Linda continued, “He was a perfectionist in everything he did. If it wasn’t perfect he would not submit it. And he was like that when he was a little kid. He was funny… His aunt said that she had never met anybody as kind and generous as he was and he was loved by his family very much.” Barnett was born on Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, moving to Las Vegas in 1980 when he was 2 and then six years later to Lower Lake, Calif., where he grew up. An avid football player—he played center and defensive tackle—from junior high through college, Barnett graduated from University of Redlands with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He worked as a sales manager for Frito Lay and Coca-Cola before meeting a girl who got him into the adult entertainment industry. When he wasn’t working, Barnett enjoyed a variety of activities. “He loved concerts. He loved going to baseball games and football games. And he would go back and coach his high school football team in Northern California,” Linda said. “The coach would call him and say, ‘Sean, I need some new plays.’ And he would help him come up with plays. “He even helped the coach of the rival team who was his best friend. So they’d be playing each other and he was helping both sides. We used to do 5K walks for cancer. We did the Color Run a couple times. And he loved to go to the ocean with us. He liked amusement parks. He was a foodie. He liked to go to different restaurants. He liked to travel.” Linda said she’d like to keep SinfulSolos moving forward for Sean, noting he had a lot of content built up that hadn’t even been edited yet. “We’re going to work with some people and see if we can keep it going for him,” she said. As news of Barnett’s passing circulated Sunday, several of his industry friends shared condolences. “I just saw this post and this is incredibly sad,” director Ivan said on Facebook. “Sean is a such a good soul. Always enjoyed running into you and sharing nerdy moments. This is just so sad to hear.” “This don't seem real,” performer Rome Major wrote on Barnett’s Facebook page. “He’s one of my good friends.” “I'm still in complete shock. Rest in peace, Sean,” performer Lisa Daniels tweeted. Barnett is also survived by three younger sisters and his father Harvey. Friends and family used to call him “Little Harv, because he looked like his Dad,” Linda said. “He was honest and very ethnical, which is kind of hard to find in this business." The family will host a “Celebration of Life” at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Las Vegas. For details, please send Sean’s sister Patricia Barnett a private message on Facebook.