Legendary adult film director Gerard Damiano passed away at the age of 80 on Saturday in Fort Meyers, Florida due to complications from a stroke. Best known for directing one of the most infamous adult films of all time, Deep Throat, Gerard was also behind the camera for such other XXX staples such as The Devil in Miss Jones. Damiano made almost 50 adult films in all before retiring in 1994.

No plans for a memorial service have been announced, but his son told news-press.com, “[His] 80th birthday party was a celebration of his life — while he was still alive.”

We had interviewed Georgina Spelvin, star of the original Devil in Miss Jones, for the December 2005 Genesis magazine special on the Vivid remake of the adult film classic, and asked what her favorite memory from working with Damiano in the movie was. “My friendship with Jerry. We worked together many times, of course. My favorite project was For Richer, For Poorer. I also did my last sex scene on-screen for Jerry, years later in San Francisco. And doing the dishes. I remember that. I have this precious memory, at the end of Devil—Jerry and I standing side by side, doing the dishes together after the shoot was over.” And what about Damiano the director? “Jerry did the cutting, as he did on all his films. Jerry’s careful editing plus a great soundtrack—wind effects, an original score plus library music—all added up to a class act. He treated me like I was Helen Hayes. The fledgling ‘sexploitation’ industry didn’t include anyone with legitimate training back then. He wanted to make a movie—a real movie, as he called it—and I was a ‘real’ actress.”

Genesis had also asked veteran director Paul Thomas, who directed Vivid’s remake of Devil and worked as an actor under him, to sum up Damiano in 25 words or less. “Can you do it in 25 word or less? Let’s see… intelligent, well-spoken, polite. He was an icon—an authentic X-rated film director who was proud of his work and made no bones about it. What else? An actor’s director. He was tough. I always studied much harder for parts in Jerry’s movies. I sensed underlying currents—almost an existential thing going on inside him.”

Our thoughts and condolences go out to all of Gerard’s family and friends. He was truly an icon in and out of adult.

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures, “Inside Deep Throat.“