Porn Actors Dustin Michaels and Todd Welch Die

We’re sorry to report the deaths of porn actors Dustin Michaels (real name: Andre Grand) and Todd Welch this past weekend.
Michaels had worked with OnTheHunt, Broke Straight Boys, Circle Jerk Boys, Naked Kombat and Bound Gods—he was 23. Welch had worked for several web studios and for Falcon Studios, FPG Entertainment, and Lucas Entertainment.

WARNING: Video features footage of Michaels’ death. May be disturbing to some viewers.
The Panama City News Herald reports that Dustin Michaels died while being pursued by officers responding to a domestic disturbance call near his home in Panama City Beach, Florida. When the officers confronted Grande, they handcuffed one of his wrists and observed him stuff something into his mouth.

Deputies tell him to stop resisting or they will tase him, but he gets to his feet. They tase him and he immediately rips the stun gun’s prongs out of his chest.

He falls to the ground. While seated, he puts his hand in his mouth and down his throat in what appears to be an attempt to vomit. When that does not succeed, Grande slaps his hand against the concrete and then both of his hands against his chest.

“I can’t breathe,” he says. “I can’t breathe.”

The deputies perform the Heimlich maneuver, but they cannot get the object out of his throat.

“Let us help you, man,” one of them shouts. “Hang in there.”

After emergency medical technicians arrived, they removed the bag of marijuana from his throat with forceps, officials said. Grande was taken to Bay Medical Center and pronounced dead at the hospital.

Grand’s arresting deputies have been placed on administrative leave and even though his autopsy called his cause of death “asphyxia due to obstruction of the airway by a foreign material” there’s some dispute over whether being tased caused the bag to go deeper into his throat. Dustin Michaels had a Twitter account from April 30th to December 7th during which he shared pictures of he and his boyfriend.
According to Gay Porn Times Todd Welch died from “an aggressive and rare form of lymphoma.” Last August, a handful of his porn colleagues and costars organized a fundraiser to help him pay his medical bills and expenses. According to FabScout’s Gio Caruso “He was so thankful for all the outpouring of support and optomistic as he looked toward the future.”
We’re sorry to see these two porn talents go so soon and our thoughts are with their friends, family, fans, and colleagues.