ATLANTA
—
Barry
“J.T.”
Rogers,
known
as
Johnny
Rahm
in
scores
of
gay
pornographic
films,
committed
suicide
in
Atlanta
on
Nov.
7.
He
was
39.
Rogers
hung
himself
with
a
wire
on
the
fence
line
of
the
Atlanta
Botanical
Garden,
according
to
the
Atlanta
Police
Department.
A
memorial
service
was
held
Sunday,
Nov.
21,
said
Adam
Kahn,
Rogers’
friend
and
roommate.
Rogers
was
born
June
11,
1965,
in
Milledgeville,
Ga.
He
was
buried
there
next
to
his
grandmother
on
Nov.
10,
said
Jamey
Rousey,
Rogers’
cousin.
Rousey
said
he
was
very
close
to
his
grandmother.
Rogers,
who
was
HIV-positive,
is
survived
by
his
parents,
two
sisters
and
a
brother,
according
to
Rousey.
Rousey
said
he
and
Rogers
were
raised
fundamental
Baptists
and
attended
a
Christian
high
school
in
Macon
and
also
attended
Bob
Jones
University
in
Greenville,
S.C.
“He
was
a
kind
and
gentle
soul
and
as
tragic
as
his
death
was,
I
hope
he’s
found
the
peace
he
couldn’t
find
in
life,”
said
Rousey,
who
works
with
the
Atlanta
AIDS
Partnership
Fund.
Rogers
moved
to
California
in
the
late
1980s
and
worked
for
about
a
decade
in
the
gay
sex
film
industry,
Rousey
said.
In
recent
years
he
worked
in
Atlanta
with
producer
Dick
Wadd,
according
to
Kahn.
Rogers
was
the
winner
of
the
1993
Gay
Video
Guide’s
Best
Supporting
Actor
Award
for
his
role
as
a
mafia
don
in
“Body
Search,”
directed
by
gay
porn
favorite
Chi
Chi
LaRue.
He
also
won
the
1995
Best
Supporting
Actor
award
for
“All
About
Steve.”
“He
was
a
sweet
guy,
a
very
loving,
caring
person
—
although
he
had
his
demons,”
Kahn
said.
“Within
five
minutes
of
meeting
him,
people
loved
him.
He
was
always
the
comedian
and
wanted
to
make
people
laugh
and
feel
good
about
themselves.”
J.C.
Adams,
a
columnist
who
writes
about
the
gay
sex
industry
in
“Adams
Report,”
said
that
as
Johnny
Rahm,
Rogers
had
a
devoted
fan
base.
“What
was
a
little
unusual
about
him
is
that
he
was
actually
a
very
good
actor,”
Adams
said.
“He
never
became
a
superstar
like
Jeff
Stryker,
but
he
did
several
films
that
are
still
remembered.”
Some
of
Rogers’
better
movies
include
“The
Devil
and
Danny
Walker,”
“Straight
to
the
Zone,”
and
“Badlands,”
said
Adams,
who
has
also
been
editor
of
Inside
Porn
Magazine
and
Unzipped
Monthly.
“He
knew
how
to
use
his
voice
and
body.
As
a
sexual
performer,
Johnny
told
me
he
really
enjoyed
what
he
was
doing.
He
was
having
fun
and
that
came
through
onscreen,”
Adams
said.
“That
is
one
of
the
main
reasons
fans
adored
him
and
remembered
him
through
the
years;
Johnny’s
light
and
spirit
was
evident.”
Kahn
said
Rogers
was
never
shy
about
what
he
did
professionally
and
also
tried
his
hand
at
stand-up
comedy.
But
while
he
may
have
achieved
some
fame
in
the
gay
sex
film
industry,
he
struggled
financially
in
his
last
months.
Since
about
April,
Rogers
was
trying
to
get
financial
assistance
to
find
his
own
home,
Kahn
said.
“He
was
on
the
phone
every
day
trying
to
get
SSI
and
it
seemed
like
he
kept
getting
the
runaround.
His
major
frustration
was
not
being
settled,”
Kahn
said.
“He
never
did
anything
bad
except
to
himself.
“He
wasn’t
your
run-of-the-mill
porn
actor.
The
biggest
part
of
him
was
making
sure
everyone
around
him
was
happy.
He
will
be
greatly
missed,”
Kahn
said.
Adams
interviewed
Rogers
in
2001
and
said
Rogers
was
truly
humbled
when
he
read
him
some
of
his
fan
mail.
“It’s
good
to
know
that
I
made
a
difference
to
some
gay
guys
out
there,”
Rogers
told
Adams,
“even
if
it
was
inadvertent.
I
feel
honored
to
have
that
kind
of
devotion.”
