Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Kay Parker, one of the biggest names in golden age adult film, passed away this last week. She was 78.
Kay was a west coast actor who entered the business through a friendship with performer John Leslie, and an appreciative director, Anthony Spinelli. She featured in well-regarded films such as ‘V’ – The Hot One (1978), Sex World (1978), Dracula Sucks (1978), Firestorm (1984), The Dancers (1981), and Chorus Call (1978). And then in 1980, she starred in the film series that is still one of the most watched from the era, Taboo. In the 1980s, she appeared regularly in films with a new generation of much younger stars such as Traci Lords and Angel. When the video era took hold, she retired and become a metaphysical counselor.
Now it’s fair to say that I’m guilty of a little skepticism when it comes to this kind of new age philosophy, and so when I spoke to Kay for The Rialto Report interview that you’re about to listen to, she said she had one condition: she wanted to give me a spiritual reading.
So I accepted. I figured it would be fun to spend another hour in her company. And so for over an hour Kay and I talked about our journeys. Now I’m not going to claim that I was won over by her beliefs that we’re all inter-planetary travelers on paths that last forever. After all, I’m a repressed, middle-aged Englishman. But what did happen was this: Kay got me talking about things I rarely share with anyone, opening up about emotions, dreams, and fears. She listened with empathy, before offering sensitive and wise advice. It was a disconcerting but surprisingly comfortable process.
After Kay’s session with me was over, I suggested that she was perhaps an unlikely adult film star: an English sweetheart, polite and reserved, calm and refined, sage and shrewd. Surely there had been some cosmic mistake which had led her to doing what she did?
She replied that I was perhaps an unlikely adult film interviewer: an English sweetheart, polite and reserved, calm and refined, sage and shrewd. Surely there had been some cosmic mistake which had led me to doing what I do?
And that was Kay: she was sweet, funny, gentle and considerate – always making the person she was with feel special and valued.
She appeared bemused by her success as a sex performer, but always had time to speak of everyone with great fondness.
I spoke to her recently when I heard she was experiencing health issues. As always, she was optimistic and happy, keen to talk and find out what I’d been up to even when her energy was flagging.
The world has lost some warmth with Kay’s passing. I look forward to seeing her somewhere in the cosmos in the thousands of years ahead of us.
This episode running time is 103 minutes.
____________________________________________________________________________
Kay Parker podcast:
On this episode of The Rialto Report, Kay Parker talks about her beginnings in war time Birmingham in England to becoming a star in the California adult film industry.
With tales of Sex World, Robert McCallum, Taboo, Annette Haven, Caballero, Joey Covington, Jefferson Airplane, Abigail Clayton, John Leslie, ‘V’: The Hot One, Firestorm, Traci Lords, Health Spa, Kat Sunlove, Mike Ranger, Joey Silvera, Kirdy Stevens and much more.Also featuring special appearances by Eric Edwards, Seka, and Richard Pacheco.
*
Kay Parker photos:
Kay, with Anthony Spinelli
The premiere of ‘Firestorm’ with Eric Edwards
Kay at work at Caballero
Annie Sprinkle, Veronica Hart, Kay Parker
When I learned of her passing, I thought the Rialto Report would have a number of kind & gracious insights of Kay Parker. All the heartfelt condolences coming from fans & friends paint a picture of a sweet old soul. I’m looking forward to listening to the interview – I’m sure it will reveal many genuine & tender nuisances of her character.
This is sad news indeed. Kay was too young to leave us so soon. She always had a other-worldly presence but she fulfilled this young Brit’s fantasies!! Up the Brummies, bet she was a Villan
Nice to know that these old gals could find a good sense of purpose after leaving the business.
I think the best way to respect the dead is to remember them as they would like to be remembered.
Kay Parker the spiritual advisor.
Wow, what a huge loss. Kay Parker was the classiest performer in adult films, hands down. She handled herself with grace and elegance. Taboo 2 was a total game changer. I hope more people become aware of how great she was as a performer.
Rest in Peace Kay. Thank you for contributing to my life.
Sadly, another one gone and a big one. It is hard to say if she is my favorite porn star, but Kay Parker is undoubtedly the most interesting person I have watched in adult films. There was something different about her. The warmth and empathy you beautifully describe, Ashley, shone through in her performances. My introduction to her was Chorus Call. I still have yet to watch Taboo. (The blu-ray is waiting for me to put it in the player.) The roles that immediately come to mind are the mother in Sweet Young Foxes and Tom Byron’s tutor in Private Teacher. The scenes with her and Eric Edwards in Sweet Young Foxes are some of the sweetest in any adult film. Another memorable scene in her adult career is the long concluding sex sequence with Hershel Savage in Nasty Nurses, one of the most intense I have ever seen. Goodbye, Kay.
I remember the shower scene in the original Taboo very fondly. As a very young adult (and a bit of a boob man), I remember it as one of the hottest things I ever saw.
RIP.
As yet another Englishman living in LA, I knew KAY PARKER very well as I did her friend and co-star JULIET ANDERSON…
They made an iconic and erotic team as in TABOO.
Their sex appeal was way beyond most sex stars of the time in that they were both intelligent and refined, and they could each arouse any red-blooded man with no effort at all!
Being free spirits they followed their own paths beyond the adult film scene. Juliet with her “Loving Touch” approach with her clients, and Kay with her pseudo-multi life experiences that she ran from her rented home in Santa Monica.
Again, like Juliet she suffered from money woes and poor health as being 1980’s love goddesses there are no residuals or pension plan.
As mentioned already, KAY PARKER was a beautiful lady with a beautiful spirit, her many fans will always remember her I’m sure!
God Bless Kay Parker We Will Miss You Buddy Thanks Awesome Article And Podcast Keep Up Good Work
Ashley, appreciate your sensitive post on the passing of Kay Parker, and the recent post on Kitten Natividad. The Rialto Report is often the only source on the passing of adult film stars from the Golden Age. Will listen to the podcast again. RIP Kay Parker.
Thank you Frank!
I listened to the podcast with Kay about a year ago. She came across exactly as I imagined her to be. In fact, it didn’t surprise me that she was in Germany by herself at a young age. She always seemed so poised, confident and comfortable with herself. I also couldn’t help smiling when she mentioned the alumni club – retired porn stars who still gathered socially. My condolences to her family and many friends. As the Stones sang, “time waits for no one”.
Heartbroken to hear this. Just a month or so ago I listened to your podcast with her, which was, as is so often the case, of a very high standard and made me feel like I knew her. Even though I knew it was several years old, I hoped she was still doing well.
The adult film industry’s reputation in the broader world is as nothing more than a chapter in a cautionary tale, something for people to gawk at and chide. That wasn’t the case with Kay. She was a gorgeous representative, inside and out, and made any number of intelligent, well-aged films before going on to make her mark in other realms.
Kay was one of a kind. I think of the Eric Edwards story shared, how seeing her on a film set took his breath away. That was how I felt whenever I saw her films. And I know I always will.
Another great one has left us, Kay was one of my favs and will continue to be so.
R. I. P. Ms Parker.
Rest in Peace Dear Lady!
You brought joy and laughter to my youth.
Love always,
Thomas
Rest Easy Beautiful Lady.
So sad to have lost 2 icons from the past in such a short time, RIP to Kay and Kitten.
She is surely missed. Kay Parker who used her real name, who could act also brought class and a strong presence to the golden age of adult cinema that can never be replaced. There are not many of them left from that era.
Bella dama…si es que algun dios existe estoy muy seguro que perdonará tus pecados. Aqui en la tierra … todos te lo perdonamos porque fuiste nuestra madre… adios bonita… espero encontrarte mas allá para cuidarte.
Que tengas lindo descanso.
R.I.P
The best mom a boy could ever have!
Long live Kay Parker, she who is class personified, who hails from a time when blue cinema actually had class. Kay is one of the best representatives of that much-missed era; the very first film in the “Taboo” series radiates heat like no other.
I remember as a teenager seeing a recording of Taboo on VHS. After watching it I never really thought of Kay as one of my favorite pornstars. I don’t mean that as an insult at all. She came across as too classy and elegant. Dorothy Lemay was a pornstar. Kay Parker was an Adult Film actress. R.I.P. and thank you for all that you gave to the Adult Film industry.
Kay was my roommate in 2011. She was such a great angel.
BON VOYAGE!!! My perfect and beautifull Lady. Love You Forever…
Thank you Kay Parker. You jumped out of the film in Taboo.
Condolences to her family.
I lost my eyes for her in my young.
R.I.P.
So sad to hear of her passing, but clearly a life well and fully lived. I never met her, but Kay Parker played a significant role in my formative years as a young man. She was the first adult star I was aware of and her passing almost seems like a personal loss. Thank you for the “forbidden” wonder, excitement, and memories stirred all those years ago Kay.
In definite agreement.
I’m very sad about this, she was a great icon of golden age.
Thank you Kay Parker.
R.I.P.
When I spoke to her in April, she sounded really upbeat.
I was only getting the odd text right up until she passed.
She was optimistic about getting through her illness but after initially going the conventional route, unsurprisingly she went the alternative therapies way..
Her lack of communication, made me intuitively realise that things weren’t good.
She hadn’t told that many people as she, to use her words “only wanted good thoughts”.
I was in contact with those closest to her and I knew she was gonna pass soon.
I was still devastated, even though I was expecting it.
She was a dear friend and a lovely woman.
We had a lot of great times together.
I’ll miss her enormously and love her always.
A few things stand out here. She says she has no regrets about her film career. She’s has an infectious laugh. Her British accent is almost unrecognizable. There’s un underlying message that she is struggling financially. To use a cliché. she’s beautiful person both inside and out.
RIP Kay.
I hope her passing was merciful. Kay was definitely one of a kind, without peer.
It’s a bit embarrassing but she was definitely my favorite actress next to Pamela Greer. Both were amazing and could easily swap industries. Kay could have been big in anything she chose. She will be missed and her mark will live on forever
Such a gentle, intelligent, thoughtful and yes, beautiful individual. Kay Parker was a one-of-a-kind that we don’t see any more in the industry. Listening to her conversation with Ashley was like listening to two friends talking. A real joy. I’m sure her next incarnation will be just as fascinating as this one was.
I love the Rialto Report, but this is my first time replying. The day I discovered my dad’s stash of Three Musketeers bars and “dirty” magazines, the standout one with Kay, was a great day, indeed. I gave up candy, but never Kay Parker. She’s my favorite from the golden era. That voice, look and yes, that BODY has stayed in my mind all these years later. It saddens me to have learned of her passing. I think a double feature of Fast Cars, Fast Women and of course, Taboo is called for this evening. Love ya, Kay and beautiful journeys to you.✨
I keep trying to find a way to post this without sounding like a cynical old fart but I wish Kay and many others from her era had made a quarter of the money that some of these current, much less talented “adult stars” are making right now. (Good for them, vapid as so much of their content is.) My most recent biggest regret is not getting a reading from Kay before she passed. Thanks again RR. Calling your work without peer still does it a disservice. Without peer, without question. Peace and happiness to one and all.
R.I.P. Kay Parker. Her unique, enlightening inner light of warmth, compassion and Love always seemed to transcend her Characters. This is what those that have seen her Genius Screen Presence are Blessed with and will remain forever in one’s cinematic collective Screen Memory ! After Candy Samples, Ms. Kay Parker was my next Adult Erotic Classic Cinema Favorite. The Original Golden Age of Adult Erotica MILF. God Bless Us Everyone, to have shared in Kay Parker’s Cinematic GLOW !
I know I’m a bit late here but I just wanted to say RIP to the beautiful Kay Parker and to wish her Godspeed!
Wow, very sad to hear this news. Kay was the classiest adult performer ever to grace the screen. Elegant and beautiful, someone that obviously lit up a room. Fortunately she lives on via the silver screen, old VHS tapes, DVDs and of course internet streaming. She also lives on in the minds and hearts of her fans. Godspeed lovely Kay!
The thing that struck me about Kay, watching her spiritual videos on youtube, was that she had this intellectual curiosity, analyzing certain things and trying to come to a solution. I liked that spirit of trying to help people out. Very much missed. I know if she was still around, she’d be trying to bring love into the world.
You were the best.
Where was kay parker buried?
Parker is one of the greats. She brought passion and an emotional connection. The eroticism is gone in today’s knock-em-out videos.
I feel guilt for watching porn, but I fell in love with Kay watching her movies 30 years after they were made. Unbelievably sexy and we all wished for a wife like her in body and personality. So sad to hear of her passing. I had been reading some excerpts from her book around the time she passed and I missed the reports of her death so am stunned now. Always wanted to message her and get a signed book but that can’t happen now. Hope one day paradise will be open to those who died upon the incorrect belief.
Absolutely gutted
Rest In Peace Kay. What a gift you were to the industry.