April 12th, 2009, brought about the death of American icon Marilyn Chambers. The adult film star of Behind the Green Door and Insatiable was found dead in her home in the canyon country surrounding Malibu and Calabasas, California. Ten days later, on what was to be her 57th birthday party; a beautiful memorial was held on blustery Zuma Beach to honor the porn legend. Industry veterans Georgina Spelvin, Jane Hamilton, and Bill Margold were all in attendance, but most of the people gathered in her memory were from the many parts of her life that didn't revolve around the film industry. The ceremony was hosted by her daughter.
The highs and lows may have never run dry in Marilyn Chambers' life, and keeping up with the tides of change in her life is daunting. She has been in advertisements, the horror movie Rabid, acted alongside Barbra Streisand, and is one of only a few porn stars to crossover to mainstream film. She is often remembered as the girl on the Ivory Soap box –a box that would later turn up on the sets of her adult films. There is even an obscure story concerning the brothers that produced her first movie. Tragically, Jim Mitchell murdered Artie Mitchell nearly 20 years after the filming of Behind the Green Door. Marilyn, at that time pregnant, spoke at Artie's funeral in 1991, even though many skeptics believe the Mitchell brothers took advantage of her.
Marilyn was a layered and multifaceted person who –though almost always naked in her roles- never came close to bearing it all on camera. Apart from her film roles, she was the mother of 17 year-old McKenna Marie Taylor. She was a singer, and recorded the disco single "Benihana" in 1976. Marilyn even wrote a book, Marilyn Chambers, My Story in 1975. Later in her life she dedicated much of her time to caring for animals. Among those paying their respects were many who volunteered with Marilyn working with animals, some of whom didn't know she was a porn star until the news announced her death. They only knew Marilyn the animal lover. Her daughter McKenna even shared that as a kid she would often be placed backseat while the dog sat shotgun next to Marilyn.
Regardless on the point of view of Marilyn Chambers, it is impossible not to see how layered and rich her life was. She received great acclaim for her films, and was the point of interest for several documentaries and the film biography Rated X. She received the XRCO Award for Best Kinky Scene for Insatiable III in 1985. In 2005 she was honored with the FOXE Lifetime Achievement award. Her last role was in the movie Solitaire, shot in 2008.
