Porn Legend Marilyn Chambers, 56

70's porn legend Marilyn Chambers, whose appearance in Behind The Green Door is largely credited with the mainstreaming of porn, died this weekend at age 56.

Marilyn Chambers, who went from selling laundry soap to become one of the first mainstream porn superstars in the 1970s, has been found dead in her Los Angeles home. She was 56, just 10 days shy of her 57th birthday. Her 17-year-old daughter, McKenna Marie Taylor, found her dead last night. An autopsy is pending, but foul play is not suspected. Chambers starred in the 1972 film Behind the Green Door, one of the first sex films to attract a more mainstream audience than the underground "stag" films. Her career change shocked those who knew her as the smiling "mother" holding a newborn on the Ivory Snow box. According to her official site, in Green Door she had an interracial sex scene with Johnny Keyes that lasted for over 45 minutes; at the conclusion of it, she fainted. She also appeared in non-porn films, including David Cronenberg's horror flick Rabid.

After fellow porn star Andrea True had a massive radio hit with 1976's More, More, More, Chambers too tried her hand at disco, teaming up with producer Michael "Let's All Chant" Zager on the abysmal Benihana in 1977. Although the record saw little success in the clubs, it has turned into something of a collectible item. Makes me wish I still had that 45. There was a clip of Benihana floating around YouTube until yesterday, but by the time I went to make this post - it was gonzo for "terms of use violations." I guess it was too racy and nobody noticed until Chambers was dead.