Brother of Adult Actress August Ames Blames Cyber Bullies for Her Suicide

The brother of late adult actress August Ames is speaking out to say that "bullying is not OK."

Following the death of his sister on Dec. 5, James Grabowski is breaking his silence on her death, claiming that bullying led his sister to commit suicide, The Sun reports.

"I want my sister's death to be recognized as a serious issue – bullying is not OK. It cost me my baby sister's life," Grabowski said. "I will do what I can be a voice for Mercedes but right now my family and I need to be left alone to grieve – we have lost a loved one."

Grabowski isn't the first to state bullying as the cause of the adult film star's death. Just days after learning of her friend's passing, adult actress Jenna Jameson blamed a number of people for "fanning the fire" of Ames' depression, claiming that her "blood is on their hands."

Just two days before her death, Ames had tweeted that she had turned down an adult film scene due to her potential co-star having filmed scenes with men in the past. Her tweet drew criticism from fellow adult film stars, including Jessica Drake who said that her logic was "seriously flawed." Performer Jaxton Wheeler told Ames to kill herself by taking a "cyanide pill."

It was known that Ames, whose real name was Mercedes Grabowski, suffered from depression, but it was not known how bad it had gotten. In recent weeks, the 23-year-old had spoken to friend and podcast host Holly Randall, revealing that she had been sexually abused by a family member as a child, a revelation that caused her to be an outcast in her own family, Radar Online reported. Ames also recounted her first experience with narcotics.

Shortly after her death had been confirmed, friends and other members in the industry began flooding social media with their condolences.