Ex-Porn Star. Author. Child Sexual Abuse Survivor. Anti-Porn Advocate. Mother.
Pill popper. Alcoholic. Scam Artist. Abuser. Addict. Hypocrite.
One woman; two very different lives. Is her death really a shock?
“Shelley Lubben died yesterday. I’m in shock. I just don’t know what happened…”
This was an email I received two days ago from a friend; a woman who, like Lubben, is a survivor of the sex industry. Reading the email, I felt my jaw fall open…
You see, it’s been some years since I’ve followed Shelley’s work — mostly, because of the drama, and allegations over the years that were coming to light about the Pink Cross Foundation CEO.
There were videos from ex-porn performers who alleged Lubben had offered support but never followed up. There were others who claimed that she used their face, and personal tragedies, to run fundraisers — but kept all the money for herself.
Then, in recent years, came a series of court appearances, a messy divorce, and allegations of domestic violence toward her husband (which were dismissed).
Her house burned down (again, under allegedly suspicious circumstances), and her lover (who she allegedly cheated on her husband with) is now serving an 11-year prison sentence for a DUI hit-and-run with a cyclist in 2017.
But it didn’t stop there. Over the past two years, more embarrassing and shocking details continued to emerge. Her life, and reputation, was in absolute shambles.
To be honest, is it really that shocking that Lubben’s life has ended at just 50 years of age?
Most of this information was leaked by a man by the name of Michael Whiteacre — a writer and editor who had been obsessively documenting Lubben for the past 7+ years, via a blog: The Devil and Shelley Lubben. Along with his YouTube videos, Whiteacre also ran a Facebook page of the same name.
From court documents, to pictures of the various medications she was allegedly taking, Whiteacre has shown a consistent and — to be frank, strange — level of interest in Lubben.
Anyone who is familiar with my work, and my integrity, knows that I’m all about ‘truth.’ I’m a naturally sensitive and compassionate person, but at the end of the day, facts rule — and people who are being exploited, deserve justice.
That said, while I appreciate Whiteacre, and others, bringing to light the failings, hypocrisy, and exploitation that many have suffered at the hands of Lubben, I don’t understand why his crusade for ‘truth’ continued long after Lubben closed her charity in 2015.
One must wonder…what is Whiteacre’s ‘motivation’ for spending over 7 years of his life relentlessly documenting and publicly airing one person’s every mistake, bad decision, or ‘dirty piece of laundry’? (His answer has always been about ‘truth’, apparently. I feel there must be something more personal brimming underneath…)
A quick glance over Lubben’s social media over the years, including her videos, showed that there were more than a few red flags… Whatever issues she was using medication for, I don’t feel is anyone’s business but her and her doctor. Whiteacre’s decision (or apparent satisfaction) in airing this to the world, seems to me about more than just pursuing ‘truth.’
Unsurprisingly, within hours of her death on February 9th, Whiteacre was quick to report that Lubben had died of an overdose (which was no doubt titillating to those who hated Lubben).
According to close friends of Lubben, however, another detail to this tragedy is that an immediate family member allegedly committed suicide last week. This same person has reported that, after this family tragedy, the Pink Cross Foundation CEO suffered a stroke and died.
(Out of respect to her family, and a lack of media confirmation, I will not mention which family member it was who allegedly suicided. But I can imagine the absolute pain Lubben would have been in, if this is indeed true).
At the end of the day, Shelley Lubben is dead.
Her children are without a mother, and her friends and ex-husband need privacy and time to mourn. Those who were exploited by Lubben, now have a chance to seek closure and move on.
But let’s not revel with joy in the death of someone who suffered so much trauma in her youth, and despite her brokenness, managed to make a positive difference in the lives of many. Let’s not forget the woman who fought hard, and courageously, against an industry that damages, and silences, so many victims of abuse…
Reading about people’s experiences with Lubben feels almost like reading about two different people… Something which, no doubt, played into her downward spiral.
I do need to clarify this… I do not, and cannot, condone the ways she has caused harm to many who trusted her. But I also see a very broken woman who was struggling with addictions that she had either deluded herself into thinking weren’t there, or that she literally just could not face.
So, as I said on Facebook: I want to acknowledge the good that she did in our world. For anyone who has been wronged by Shelley, I hope that they find healing and justice…
Thoughts From Jas 
I would like to comment on the recent death of Shelley Lubben who died a broken woman in her trailer in Tulare County after the death of her oldest daughter, Tiffany, a few days before. Shelley was a tireless crusader against abuse in the adult film industry through her Pink Cross Foundation, which attempted to rescue performers who were at risk from addictive habits that often come with this career choice. While not perfect, Shelley devoted most of her time and efforts to the work of the foundation and not personal gain. The world has lost an advocate for a worthy cause and will suffer from her passing. Rest in Peace.
If Shelley were important and famous, Whiteacre would be facing criminal charges for stalking her. But since she is one of the few who oppose the epidemic spread of porn, he is considered some kind of hero while she is the villain. I think the charges that Shelley spend fundraiser money on herself is a judgement call.. certainly she needed money to pay her debts and run the Pink Cross foundation also.
Shelley Lubben saved my life and answered the phone at 3am….! It’s people like Michael Whiteacre that take lives by draining them with the crap he’s pulled for 7 years. I hope you’re happy now Mike..! Your time is coming… I thank everyone for supporting Shelley and what she’s done. She told me the amount of people needing help was getting to be overwhelming. She wasn’t profiting from the Pink Cross she lived it..! She had a stroke not an overdose ya fuckin asshole Mike…!
Now she is at rest. God bless.!
Ryno…
Ahh, yes, my “strange” interest in Shelley Lubben. This one never gets old.
“One must wonder…what is Whiteacre’s ‘motivation’ for spending over 7 years of his life relentlessly documenting and publicly airing one person’s every mistake, bad decision, or ‘dirty piece of laundry’? (His answer has always been about ‘truth’, apparently. I feel there must be something more personal brimming underneath…)”
You have a unique definition of “relentless”. I have gone for many months at a time with no mention of Shelley Lubben whatsoever. I also have nor posted anything about her since her death, In those 7+ years, I have published less than 2 hours of finished (edited) video on the subject of Ms. Lubben. There are YouTube bloggers who release more than that per week.
Was I supposed to ignore the fact that her house burned to the ground in a drug lab fire? (Not an alleged drug lab fire, a documented drug lab fire.) Or that she was recorded threatening the life of a local single mom? Or that she had three active restraining orders against her at the time of her death? She was still on social media talking about how she was a family values advocate and “rebel prophet” fighting against immorality.
One of the biggest differences that I can see between me and you is that, when people contacted me to say that Shelley Lubben was harassing them, or robbing them, I actually gave a damn. Unlike you, I devoted time, energy, and my own money to telling their stories and trying to get justice for them.
Perhaps the key difference between me and you, is that I actually investigate claims made. The friend you reference who found Ms. Lubben dead has changed his story several times. However, the original story he told the 911 responders, and the story that they in turn told Ms. Lubben’s family after examining the scene of her death and her remains, is that she had been found with bloody fluid aspirating from her mouth as the result of an apparent overdose. I have been clear on this: apparent overdose. From statements made in open court a few days earlier, we know that Shelley had gone into withdrawal and was treated in a San Diego hospital. When the toxicology report comes in, I will report it.
Let me add, also, that this friend told Lubben’s family that she had NOT heard about the recent suicide of a family member at the time of her passing. I can find no evidence that Shelley knew. And, as someone who has lost family members, I hope she didn’t.
Incidentally, this same friend, a local drunkard named Dave, also tried to claim an interest in Ms. Lubben’s trailer after her death, stole her iPhone, and apparently stole her jeep.
I also find it telling that you use a post from Sindy Sunshine. Shelley would brag about how she rescued Sindy from porn. However, Sindy was never in porn. There is no evidence that she was even involved in sex work.
Shelley Lubben did not fight “hard, and courageously” against the adult industry; she fought pitifully and drunkenly to make a name for herself, and in the process destroyed her own family, and robbed, harassed and tortured others. She fed pills to her boyfriend Joe Valley, and — knowing that he regularly drove drunk — bought him a car and handed him the keys. Make no mistake, Octavio Munguia would be alive today were it not for Shelley Lubben.
Its amazing that people act like she was such a saint, No one knew her as well as her partners ,because she made up a lot of her traumatic experiences , and in turn affected her eldest child with things that did not happen the way she painted them, and yes I speak from experience, she was in my life for close to 10 years I was there for many a things that were not told such as they happened, she wasn’t necessarily a demon but she did step on many people without regard and was very selfish her goal was always being in the spotlight one way or another…her sexually transmitted diseases were not caught doing porn, she caught them from a guy she was in a relationship with , I was there when she found out and she knew it was from him.. I saw her self harm in order to say it was someone else..I Am a Woman and she and I We were in a off and on Relationship since I was 16 and she was 22 that lasted 6 years, I was14 when I met her I saw a lot and lived through a lot of things that were changed to fit the narrative of her tragic life story ..she influenced a lot of women to join her lifestyle ,she was very in to using her sexuality for gain. Adulation was her drug of choice so to speak.. I was never in the adult industry but was in her life in and out up until she first married her husband…I reached out not for her but because I cared for her daughter tiff whom I adored even before she was born.. I was there through Shelleys pregnancy and after…I know people will say oh a bitter ex , but not the case ,I had to walk away from the things that were happening in that circle and one of the first to walk away in time.. I don’t doubt she did some good with her foundation , But I also knew her very well and no matter how many layers of clothing a tiger wears its spots never disappear….
Thank you for sharing some of your story and experience with me. There’s a lot that many of us will never know when it comes to the truth about Shelley, but I appreciate you helping me to have some further perspective on her actions and life. As more time has passed, I recognise that there were many things about Shelley and her lifestyle that likely did not align with the image she put out to the world.