JOHN HOLMES, American porn star, died (b. 1944); For a whole new spin on the name “Walpole” and better known as “John C. Holmes” or “Johnny Wadd” (after the lead character in a series of related films), John Holmes was one of the most famous male adult film stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and porno feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s, including at least one Gay feature film and a handful of Gay loops.

He was best known for his exceptionally, nay, monumentally large penis, which was heavily promoted as being the longest in the porn industry; however, its exact dimensions are unknown. It was detailed, by Holmes himself, in an interview in “Screw” magazine to be a formidable 16.5 inches. It’s girth was prodigious. Holmes also attracted notoriety for his involvement in the Wonderland murders in 1981.

Also known as the Four on the Floor Murders” or “the Laurel Canyon Murders,” four still unsolved murders occurred in Los Angeles on July 1, 1981. It is assumed that six people were targeted to be killed in the known drug house of the Wonderland Gang, five of whom were present. Four of those five, Billy DeVerell, Ron Launius, Joy Miller, and Barbara Richardson, died from extensive blunt-force trauma injuries. Only Ron Launius’ wife, Susan Launius, survived the attack, allegedly masterminded by organized crime figure and nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Nash, his henchman Gregory DeWitt Diles, and Holmes were at various times arrested, tried, and acquitted for their involvement in the murders. Val Kilmer played Holmes in a 2003 film about the murders, Wonderland.

John Holmes died from complications of HIV-AIDS.