Jack Wrangler, dead at 62

Jack Wrangler, an icon of post-Stonewall gay culture and the subject of the award-winning documentary Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon, died Monday night of complications from lung disease, reports Advocate.com. Wrangler, born John Robert Stillman, was 62 years old.

More on the iconic performer's life and a pictorial tribute to his legacy continue below.

Wrangler grew up in Beverly Hills, the son of producer Robert Stillman (Champion, Home of the Brave). John Stillman began his career starring in and then later directing theater before going into adult films.

In Jeffrey Schwarz's documentary, the actor discusses growing up feeling scrawny and effeminate, but that becoming porn star Jack Wrangler made him a sought-after icon of masculinity.

Wrangler's films include such porn classics as Kansas City Trucking Company and A Night at the Adonis among the nearly 100 adult titles in which he appears.

Wrangler was among the first gay porn stars to cross over into straight porn — it was alleged that the first time he made love to a woman was in front of the camera — and he surprised his fans by entering into a long-term relationship with singer Margaret Whiting in 1976.

Wrangler with Margaret Whiting in 2007

The two married in 1994 and remained together through Wrangler's death. Both discuss their unusual but long-lasting partnership on film in Wrangler, which last week won an Adult Video News GayVN Award for Best Alternative Release.

Upon the release of the DVD, Wrangler gave what would be one of his final interviews to Advocate.com.