03/01/2007
Adult Film Actor Brett Mycles Dies of Heart Failure
Rob Sager (aka Brett Mycles), who appeared in a number of gay-oriented adult films, was found dead over the weekend of congestive heart failure. He was 29 and starred in films for the production company Jet Set before moving on to become a mainstream fitness model.
Jason Curious (nsfw) reports: "The cause of Sager's heart failure has not yet been released, though it is rumored that an unfortunate penchant for steroid use combined with partying is a high probability. I can only hope that this will serve as a wakeup call to the porn studs who put their bodies through hell to try an achieve some unobtainable ideal of perfection."
RIP Brett Mycles [fleshbot] (nsfw)
Rob Sager, 29 Dies of Heart Failure [jason curious]
Rob Sager/Brett Mycles Dead? [turning the light around] (nsfw)
Posted 8:28 AM EST by Andy in Adult, Film, Models, News | Permalink
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Pity. Such a young man.
Posted by: xavier | Mar 1, 2007 9:37:01 AM
Sad when someone commits suicide.
Posted by: dc-20008 | Mar 1, 2007 9:48:28 AM
Was Howard K. Stern anywhere nearby?
Posted by: Becks07 | Mar 1, 2007 10:26:50 AM
Thanks for the mention, Andy. Rob was one of my favorites. RIP.
Posted by: doug | Mar 1, 2007 10:33:13 AM
holy crap. this guy was awesome. 29!!?!?!?
what's wrong with us humans?
Posted by: gino | Mar 1, 2007 11:04:55 AM
How many wake up calls are really needed? Don't we have them all the time?
Posted by: Jake | Mar 1, 2007 11:26:03 AM
It happens a lot more than you think, but people don't want to diss the steroids because they love the illusion that they are healthy men. They are slowly killing themselves with steroids, but with a community that worships this unnatural look what do you expect?
Posted by: Gary | Mar 1, 2007 11:39:54 AM
I don't believe a "community" worships that at all. I am part of the gay community and do not worship steroids or the "look". We should try not to generalize.
Posted by: dc-20008 | Mar 1, 2007 11:50:12 AM
I don't mean to be cruel when I say this, but from living in NYC any time someone partakes in the "Chelsea Workout" to the extent that it seems Rob Sager had, any ones poor little heart can only take so much. A wake up call indeed (ring ring Matthew Rush).
Posted by: Cory | Mar 1, 2007 12:03:41 PM
I do agree we that those who use steroids need to understand how dangerous they are. But I will also say, I live in West Hollywood, and there are literally thousands of men who have achieved their goals with their bodies and never touched a single steroid. Wanting to achieve a healthy body is not a crime, and those that have achieved it without drug use understand that. Healthy body=Healthy Mind.
Posted by: Rick | Mar 1, 2007 12:21:33 PM
Look at all the Towleroad readers who have happily internalized the media's sensationalization of steroid use. They parrot it back so beautifully! "Drugs bad! Drugs bad!"
Actually, ladies, the occasional cosmetic use of injectable anabolic steroids in moderation (and preferably under a doctor's supervision) is just as safe as the use of most other prescription drugs.
The problems arise--as with all drugs: prescription, bathtub, organic, or distilled--when you get away from moderate, reasonable use and escalate either the dosage or frequency (or both) until you've crossed well over into the abuse zone.
Over the past 30 years, how many queens in the U.S. have used steroids at some point? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
And how many muscle queens do you know of who have keeled over from heart failure or suffered other significant health problems as a result of their steroid use--even when combined with regular use of recreational drugs? Very, very few.
Abuse and addiction are the problem, not the drugs themselves.
Posted by: 24play | Mar 1, 2007 12:46:13 PM
Clever use of emasculation as part of your argument, 24PLAY.
Posted by: OverThePosers | Mar 1, 2007 12:52:57 PM
24play:
One word: DENIAL.
Posted by: MOI | Mar 1, 2007 1:06:45 PM
Keep telling yourself that, 24Play. Maybe you'll start to believe your own bullsh*t.
Posted by: Rob | Mar 1, 2007 1:08:59 PM
Ahhh, 24Play...spoken like a true addict. You sound like the tweakers I know.
I'm starting a betting window that 24Play keels over dead from steroid/drug use. Initial odds ar 4:1.
Put your money on the table, gentlemen...
Posted by: Becks07 | Mar 1, 2007 1:18:51 PM
The point I was trying to make is, you (we) can look good without any drug use. I am tired of people stating that every gay man that has a nice body is loaded up on something, because that is not the truth. Have you ever lost anyone close to you because of drug use? I have, and I have battled addiction myself. Go ahead and use whatever drugs you like, but I know that Rob's dream was not to die at 29 of conjestive heart failure. I know that. And, I can't help but think that maybe if we faced our drug use as a community, a lot more of us would be around right now. I am tired of losing friends every single day of the week.
Posted by: Rick | Mar 1, 2007 1:21:47 PM
He was a beautiful man - great energy.
Amazing he actually was free enough of a person to do the porn classics - his International Male catalog work made for a lot of happy men I am sure.
REST IN PEACE
Hopefully he and Joey Stefano are angels somewhere now.
Posted by: RJP3 | Mar 1, 2007 1:22:08 PM
I don't think steroids killed him. I think it was his eating and training habits. In order to keep on that much muscle mass you need to eat protein. Many foods that contain protein have high amounts of fats and chlorestrol like beef, steak, nuts, and eggs. Also to remain as lean as he was on a constant basis you have to do a lot of cardio and restrictive dieting. I think eventually that extreme lifestyle took it's toll on his heart.
Posted by: Jack! | Mar 1, 2007 1:42:56 PM
Yes, we know all steroid users are models of moderation. What a damn ass thing to say. Your kidding yourself if you think that injectable anabolic steroids in moderation are just as safe as the use of most other prescription drugs. Just because users aren't dropping dead in front of you doesn't mean the drugs are safe. There are grave side effects that sometimes take years to manifest. The reality is that what blows up with a steroid has to deflate at some point and mother nature is a wicked task master. Most 'roid' users usually blow out their knees or most commonly their rotator cuffs as they haven't taken the time to train and build properly and they stop training. Sure it looks pretty, you look perfect on a cycle but you're a walking time bomb. Don't be stupid, don't be a follower, be natural and achieve heart healthfulness, by training hard and eating right.
Posted by: Jocko | Mar 1, 2007 1:48:10 PM
It never fails to amaze me how many queens can detect the slightest whiff of homophobia in a media report from 100 paces but are entirely incapable of recognizing other types of rampant media bias or sensationalism.
"There are grave side effects that sometimes take years to manifest themselves." Yeah, same with aspirin, alcohol, and Haagen-Dazs.
"Most ’roid users usually blow out their knees...." Most. Really, most? I must have missed that study when it was published.
"...you're a walking time bomb." How very Reefer Madness. (Or was it that movie with Jason Statham?)
Well, you certainly have got your ONDCP talking points and catch phrases down cold.
But you know sucking cock is bad for you, too. Or so I've always heard. I wonder how you guys ever managed to see through that one.
Posted by: 24play | Mar 1, 2007 2:20:38 PM
24play, we get your point. Why are you so hyped up about defending it though?
And stop calling gay men queens and ladies. WE ARE MEN!
Posted by: Jack! | Mar 1, 2007 2:42:16 PM
ok I know i'm gonna get flamed for this but...
No one really addressed 24play's point about steroids being just one among many drugs that Americans abuse.
I think a more logical approach to this debate is to say that steroid use, unlike the use of other drugs, gives a false image of beauty and perfection, when in reality, there is potential damage underneath.
But then the argument becomes about what messages are sent by using steroids.
Plenty of gay men are alcoholics, but alcohol doesn't give you rippling biceps, so we go easier on alcoholics even though liver and heart disease due to cigarette smoking, bad eating habits and drinking account for WAAAY more deaths in America than steroid use.
I'm in NO way apologizing for steroid use. I have lifted weights for the past 11 years and never touch steroids, nor do I do any recreational drugs or even drink that much.
I just see a bit of a double standard with this argument.
Posted by: mark m | Mar 1, 2007 5:39:06 PM
The term "congestive heart failure" suggests an enlarged heart, perhaps as a result of steroid use but that would be extremely rare at age 29, or even 45. Enlarged hearts cannot pump efficiently and generally cause a whole slew of side-effects that would be readily apparent over several months, so you don't die suddenly from congestive heart failure the way you die from a heart attack. He would have been unable to get out a chair easily or walk up stairs for the last several weeks. Now, these terms get tossed around too casually, so one would suspect sudden death as a result of something else entirely, such as cocaine use or a congenital heart defect, which may have been exacerbated by steriod use or even just exercise and dieting. Steroid abuse (not just use) has a number of side-effects that any recent nude (un-photoshopped) photo would have displayed. For example, it causes jaundice and liver failure resulting in yellow eyes and skin at least. That said, he may have purchased a bad batch of steroids or something else poisonous, but this really hints of cocaine poisoning. (Other possibilities such as heroin would have physical traces such as "tracks" in the arm, etc. that a good autopsy would pick up on quickly.)
He was gorgeous though, quite a shame in general.
Posted by: anon | Mar 1, 2007 6:21:18 PM
And stop calling gay men queens and ladies. WE ARE MEN!
Posted by: Jack! | Mar 1, 2007 2:42:16 PM
The reason why 24play refers to all gay men as "queens and ladies" is because he is a queen who wishes he was a lady. So he thinks every other gay man is like that too, because he doesn't get out much. Sad but true.
Posted by: _____ | Mar 1, 2007 6:47:19 PM
I am not proud to admit this, years ago when I played football in college I used steroids. As a 5'8" man, I weighed almost 200 lbs and it was mostly muscle and water weight from steroids. Later, I tapered off but made friends within the gay "party" scene and saw a lot of drugs and steroid abuse. Steroids, pretty much like any thing, when used in moderation aren’t necessarily terrible for the system - however not good. The problem I saw (and experienced) was the addiction. When you get such results you want more... and more... and better... and more. It becomes excessive, and working out without them becomes psychologically depressing cause you know you can get better results with steroids. It usually spirals out of control, and steroid use usually is in conjunction with other recreational substances, such as cocaine and other drugs. Extreme dieting, exercise, recreational substances, etc. all contribute to the possibility of taxing the body and exacerbating present abnormal medical conditions.
A lot of people have already commented on that very intelligently, such as Anon, Mark M, etc. In the end, I suppose this is all conjecture, as no one truly knows what Rob Sager's life may have been like. Perhaps it may be indicative of a bigger problem, who knows. I just hope that whatever it was he might find peace, wherever he may be.
Posted by: Cory | Mar 1, 2007 7:29:32 PM
Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse, blah blah blah blah blah....
Posted by: cal | Mar 1, 2007 7:30:32 PM
RIP Rob Sager.
Posted by: Da | Mar 1, 2007 7:42:38 PM
sadly no one has mentioned what a great cock he had.
rest in peace man. thanks, i loved you in Wrestler for Hire.
Also, kiddies I read he died in his sleep in his apartment on February 24, 2007.
Posted by: poodle | Mar 1, 2007 8:24:56 PM
Steroids create an illusion of rapid, permanent muscle development. However, with long-term, continuous use, steroids inevitably will cause a weightlifter's body to grow and change in undesirable and unwelcome ways (distended abdominal muscles, shrunken testicles, enlarged heart and liver, unnatural hair loss, to name a few) that are irreversible and can have devastating long term negative effects on the person's health. Some of my friends have learned their lessons the hard way and now individually suffer from some of the afore mentioned conditions. Every single one of them categorically and unequivocally admits that they now wish that they had headed the warnings and paid closer attention to the subtle signals their bodies were sending them when they noticed (and chose to ignore) the little negative things that, at the time, they convinced themselves were temporary or nothing to be concerned about and were merely a small but necessary price to pay for the over all body development results they believed they were getting when they looked in the mirror. Steroids are an illusion that, in the end will trash a persons looks, ruin their body shape and prematurely aging their appearance, stealing away the very thing they believe that the steroid use is giving them, the appearance of youth and vitality.
On a personal note, through several mutual friends, I had met and become acquainted with Rob a few years ago when he was in his early twenties. Within our group of friends, I got to spend a few nights dancing with him and our buddies at The Factory and from time to time went barhopping through West Hollywood as well. Rob was a nice guy who (like is sometimes the case with guys that I’ve gotten to know who do porn), Rob was somewhat personally insecure about his appearance and from time to time could be too self-critical about his looks (which from my point of view he had nothing to worry about). I know that Rob privately worried that guys didn't think he was nearly hot enough or sexy enough to be in porn. If steroid use is responsible for his untimely passing, it will truly be a sad final chapter in the story of Rob’s life. I didn't know Rob nearly as well as I would have liked and will miss the good times we shared through our casual circle of friends. It’s a sad note to end the day on…
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Mar 2, 2007 5:24:45 AM
Jocko, tell me you don't think all those pro wrestlers and Ultimate Fighting guys who you glorify on your site got their physiques from only hard work and a good diet.
Posted by: Steve | Mar 2, 2007 9:39:26 AM
I think this is one of the most powerful postings I've come across on your site this year.
Here is a man that truly personified "ideal" physical beauty (for me). Always seemed like the guys with perfect bodies had no issues other than who they would date next. Makes me appreciate that I never went down the road of using steroids to achieve what I felt I lacked. Maybe age does bring a better sense of self worth. Think it's the case for me. Sorry he didn't have that opportunity.
Thanks, Andy!
Posted by: Jake | Mar 3, 2007 12:24:12 PM
What a tragedy.
I personally find this kind of disproportionate and extreme physique a bit of a turn-off, presicely because it looks unnatural, IS unnatural and is invariably the result of steroid abuse. It's a shame that so many men covet this look and are prepared to do themselves long term permanent damage in order to obtain it. But here's the thing; whilst we sit and decry drug use, many people will balk at seeing anything other than a "perfect" physique in a porn movie.
Ironically, one of the drugs' side effects is loss of sex drive...so if that doesn't put you off....
Posted by: atheist | Mar 3, 2007 3:18:02 PM
Anyone actually found a *real* obituary posted anywhere? Haven't found one so far...
Posted by: rick | Mar 3, 2007 5:04:03 PM
Here are the obituaries:
1. ToledoBlade.com
http://www.legacy.com/ToledoBlade/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=86659760
2. Newcomer Family Funeral Home
http://www.newcomernet.com/obituaries/obitsearch.asp?selected=4&ObitID=18843&EMSessionID=-1&Source=value
Posted by: LTP | Mar 3, 2007 9:58:39 PM
Christopher Robert Christopher Sager, age 29, formerly of Toledo, currently of Las Vegas, passed away suddenly Sunday, February 25, 2007. He was born December 2, 1977 to Christopher and Cynthia (Deters) Sager. Robert was a fitness model and a body builder for several years. He enjoyed traveling and spending time with family and friends. Robert had a big heart and was always there to lend a helping hand. He was a wonderful son, brother, husband and friend and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Lori A. (Barnes) Sager; parents, Cynthia Deters and Christopher Sager; sisters, Barbra (Chad) Sager and Heather Sager; mother-in-law, Patti (Ron) Monhollen; father-in-law, Rand Barnes; sister-in-law, Christy Debruyne; brother-in-law, Ronnie Monhollen; nephews, Cyle; Cole and Caden; niece, Kaelyn and many dear family and friends. The family will receive guests Sunday from 2-8:00 p.m. in the Newcomer Funeral Home, 4150 W. Laskey Rd. (419-473-0300). Funeral services will be Monday at 10:00 a.m. in the funeral home. Interment will follow in Toledo Memorial Park.
http://www.legacy.com/ToledoBlade/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=86659760
Posted by: LTP | Mar 3, 2007 10:12:50 PM
One poster on roidsnrants.blogspot.com commented:
"He should have stayed associated with the ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC for his chance at real success & happiness. Instead, sadly, he messed up with prostitution! He fucked himself like they all do. He had some commercial sponsors before he turned into a whore. After you ruin your life, it's hard (if not impossible) to go back! Oh well, you live and learn hard lessons!"
Unfortunately, Rob's time has been cut short. May he rest in peace.
Posted by: Firefly | Mar 6, 2007 4:05:17 AM
Don't you just hate the idea of putting a news store out there with out any facts.
I would suspect that running the the gay movie industry like any other is rather cut throat.
I remember years ago. Colt productions told their models that they had to do video man on man. Several of the big stars including Carl Hardwick quit the company saying that they won't do it on film. (not that they weren't doing the couch)
Once you sign the contract with this industry your ass is theirs. That big drag queen LaRue (something) has cornerd the gay market. I have viewed so the the material and hope do God that their collective mothers haven't seen the trash they are filming.
Just a thought.
Posted by: Dr. Pat | Mar 7, 2007 8:32:28 AM
Well, I am terribly saddened by Rob's passing :-( Such a beautiful young man and by all accounts a real sweetheart. It bothers me that so many people jump to conclusions without facts. While many may feel they know, they really do not. Apparently heart problems ran in the family and many athletes have had similar issues without the use of any steroids or other drugs. While Rob, no doubt did use some substances to help in his development, there is nothing to suggest that they "did him in". Regardless of what happened, it really does not matter now, does it? It is so sad and Rob should be remembered as a beautiful young guy, who left us too soon. Peace out Rob, have fun in heaven.
Posted by: Neil | Mar 23, 2007 10:43:01 PM
I just today found out that Brett had died. How incredibly sad.
A lot of people spend their lives with regrets about not being or doing what they could have done.
In 1997, my 23 year old best friend Dino was killed in a murder suicide. I was 3 years older than her and have lived an additional 10 years beyond that. This kind of thing makes you put your life in perspective.
Death is tragic, plainly put. It doesn't matter how it comes about, or how beautiful you are, or how many muscles you have, or how big your dick is. It is just tragic.
Brett has my prayers, and I hope that wherever he is he can read this, and know that he brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people, and smile.
Peace, Brett.....
Drew
Posted by: Drew | Oct 27, 2007 8:26:09 PM