PORN star Alicia Rio has died from complications believed to be related to Covid-19, reports say.
The 55-year-old, who appeared in hundreds of adult film titles during the 1990s, passed away on January 17.
Her ex-husband Steve Houston told AVN that he had learned Rio had died after being contacted by her niece.
The former porn star, of Mexico, had been found unresponsive at her home.
The legendary adult movie star’s cause of death currently remains unknown.
Houston said: “They did bring up COVID. I’m really waiting to hear what the coroner’s office comes up with.
“We’ll just leave it that she passed peacefully and quietly at home.”
An immediate relative posted online: “We believe it was ultimately a bout with Covid that cut her life shorter than we would have hoped and expected.”
Houston paid a glowing tribute as he said: “She was loved by everybody. She was the real deal for the industry.”
Fans branded Rio a “pioneer and trailblazer” in the adult film industry as they paid tribute to her.
Rio and Houston met in 1980 at a skating rink before they got married in 1986. They split in 1997.
But, Houston said Rio was his best friend as the pair stayed “very tight” up until her death.
Rio entered the adult film industry in 1991 and was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2004.
She is probably best known for starring in the adult movies Borderline, Reflections of Rio, and Fantasies of Alicia.
