Shannon Michelle Wilsey (October 9, 1970 - July 11, 1994), better known as Savannah, was an American pornographic film actress who appeared in over 100 movies throughout the course of her career. She was one of the most popular adult industry models of her time, gaining prominence throughout her brief (1990–1994) career owing to her onscreen appearance and personal life. AVN placed her 19th on their list of the best 50 porn performers of all time in January 2002. Wilsey allegedly got her stage name from the film Savannah Smiles (1982), which she liked. Following an automobile accident that resulted in a broken nose, she tried suicide with a handgun and died in the hospital after being taken from life support. - Career Rex Cabo, an actor and director, introduced Wilsey to the pornographic film industry. She began in picture spreads for Cheri, Hustler, Swank, and Penthouse before signing an exclusive deal with Vivid Entertainment in 1991 and became one of the original Vivid Girls. Wilsey began taking drugs and spending significant sums of money, and she apparently had major financial difficulties despite her high income. She was also known for being late to film shootings, being irritable and acting like a diva, and occasionally getting intoxicated or misusing drugs on the film/video sets. Vivid ended its relationship with her as a result of her activities in 1993. She concluded her career mostly freelancing for lesser budget porn businesses, relying on her still large but plainly diminishing industry brand. Wilsey has starred in a number of minor roles in B movies (usually comedies, horror, and/or sci-fi) under her own name. Among these roles were The Invisible Maniac (1990) and Camp Fear (1993). (1991). She was also given credit for her performance on the soundtrack of the film The Spectacle (1991). Wilsey continued to appear in archive film even after her death. When Sorority House Massacre II aired on Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater, she played Santana (October 1994). - Private life Wilsey revealed in a video interview for Vivid that the first time she saw "erotic stuff" was when she was 11 years old and was "snooping through her parents' belongings" and found some magazines. She eventually admitted to watching sexual films with her lover on his tour van (presumably referring to Gregg Allman). Wilsey began a long-term relationship with fellow pornographic actress Jeanna Fine, with whom she subsequently claimed to be profoundly in love. "We had a continuous, on-again, off-again, tumultuous, love relationship," Fine said in a 1999 interview after the E! True Hollywood Story about Wilsey's life and death aired. I was experiencing a lot of troubles at the time. Between [male porn actor] Sikki Nixx and Savannah's pushing and dragging, I almost ran away from them both at one point. It was too much for me to bear. But I feel like I abandoned her when she needed me the most. It's heartbreaking." Savannah was also romantically involved with singer Billy Idol, Mötley Crüe member Vince Neil, Van Halen leader David Lee Roth, bassist Billy Sheehan who was in Roth's solo band, comedian Pauly Shore, guitarist Slash, and actor Mark Wahlberg. Wilsey claimed in an interview with Adult Video News: "I adore sex, and sex with rockers is my very favorite... - Death Wilsey committed herself by shooting herself following an automobile accident in 1994. Wilsey was engaged in a car accident with her Corvette on the evening of July 11, in which she allegedly fractured her nose and wounded her face. She went home to Universal City, got a friend to walk her dog, and then contacted her boss, Nancy Pera, upset about the mishap. Pera was the one who discovered Wilsey in the garage of Wilsey's house. Wilsey died hours later in the hospital when her father opted to turn off her life support equipment after it became clear that she would not survive her wounds. Wilsey's ex-boyfriend, comedian Pauly Shore, reported that he was with her when she died in St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank. Wilsey's burial was attended by friends, family, and a small number of adult industry acquaintances two days later. Shore was the only one of her ex-boyfriends that showed up for the funeral. Shore described Wilsey as "the loveliest, most beautiful person I had met... [her death] was a really tragic event for me." When questioned why she committed suicide, he stated, "Savannah was her new name. She took on the persona of her character, who was addicted to narcotics and required constant reinforcement. She had forgotten who Shannon was... I knew she didn't want to be in the porn business anymore." Wilsey's death was the adult industry's third high-profile suicide. Bill Margold established Protecting Adult Welfare (P.A.W.) after her death, a non-profit organization that provides therapy to adult performers in need. Her corpse was cremated, and her ashes were distributed among family and friends.