Howard Levine Passes Away

LOS ANGELES—Legendary industry salesman and AVN Hall of Famer Howard Levine passed away late Wednesday evening after a long battle with cancer, AVN has learned. He was 64. Fellow Hall of Famer Marci Hirsch, who worked with Levine for many years at Vivid Entertainment, where he served as national sales manager throughout its heydey, informed AVN of the news, noting, "Howard was arguably the best salesman in the business." A message on Levine's Facebook page posted at approximately 11:15 Wednesday night and co-signed by his wife Louise, daughter Jessica and son Justin reads: "It is with breaking hearts that we tell you Howard's 3 1/2 year fight with cancer has ended on Wednesday June 26th, 2019. A funeral service will be held at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Simi Valley, CA. Please see their website for details. Memorial donations in Howard's name may be made to the City of Hope or your favorite charitable organization." Hirsch told AVN further details about the funeral would be made available Thursday, and said, "Anyone wanting to pay their respects is welcome to come to the service." Levine's legacy at Vivid lasted for over 20 years, and he was responsible for some of its—and the industry's—biggest selling titles of all time, including Pam & Tommy Lee: Hardcore & Uncensored, Batman XXX: A Porn Parody and many more. In 2011, he founded his own new distribution company, Exile Distribution, in partnership with Exquisite Multimedia's Jerry. Exile's portfolio of studios includes such top brands as Forbidden Fruits Films, BurningAngel Entertainment, Kick Ass Pictures, ATKingdom/AMK Empire and Severe Sex Films. AVN will report further on this story as more details become available.