Porn Valley- A Current Affair ran a feature on the late Chloe Jones, aka Melinda Taylor, Wednesday night. But it was no Editors Choice. For the non-porn masses it might have offered a mild wrenching or two of the heart, but for those who follow this stuff regularly, it was a matter of having been there and shared world-weary deja vu experiences through the, likewise, departed souls of Savanna, Alex Jordan, Trinity Lauren and Kelly Van Dyke.
Jones' husband Michael Taylor as well as Jenna Jameson, John T. Bone and Andrea Mountjoy - who managed to garner a plug for her website - offered comment.
According to A Current Affair, Jones was the mother of three "and by all accounts was devoted to her children and husband" which probably explains why Jones had a fiance on the side. Even A Current of Affair alludes to this fact later in the piece but passes up on an obvious opportunity.
"Her alter ego was Chloe Jones- one of the most famous adult movie stars in America," stated the report. And one might argue with that observation. "She mostly insisted on performing only with her husband," continued the report. "That was what inevitably seemed to drag Melinda down. Finally, earlier this month she passed away. She was just 29."
The report also mentions something about Jones posing with Milton Berle but doesn't get beyond what the circumstances of that was. Probably there were no circumstances. An old clip of Jones has her talking about how at 17 she became a magazine model and subsequently got on the cover of a 1,000 magazines- another statement that might be challenged on the grounds of exaggeration.
"Now Chloe Jones was one of the industry's legends after she died suddenly and mysteriously at her apartment in Houston, Texas," states Doug Bruckner. According to the report, news of Jones' death spread through the industry just as it was staging Erotica L.A. The report also states that Jenna Jameson called a halt to an autograph session to pay tribute to Jones. Jameson says she was very close to Jones, that she had known her for about ten years. "We got into the industry about the same time."
The report refers to Jones' "secret world" and that there was a truth behind the perfect porcelain image. "Not exactly a soccer mom but she and Mike Taylor had three children- daughter and twin boys," states Bruckner. Taylor alludes to her separate life as Chloe Jones. "When she was on the road, feature dancing or if she was in front of a camera she gave it her all," says Taylor. "On the other side of that, she was a great mother."
Bruckner reports that weeks before her death, Jones had plans to leave the adult industry and become a funeral director. Taylor said Jones had plans to attend the only funeral directing school in the state. "Corsets to caskets?" asks Bruckner, noting that Jones was referred to as "crazy Chloe". Jones was deemed one of a kind, says Bruckner, and when she came to Hollywood at age 17 to make ends meet Jones teamed up with Penthouse Pet Andrea Mountjoy. "They topped all comers in local bikini bars." Mountjoy says she and Jones entered contests to make extra money. Mountjoy went on to do her thing in mens' magazines while Jones pursued some mainstream aspirations.
"She shot with Milton Berle," said Taylor. "It was Chloe on one side- I don't know who the other model was." [Of course I've never bragged about the time I posed for a picture with the president of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce.] But just as Jones' career took of, she encountered the incident in the alleyway where she was raped, according to Taylor. "She was leaving a photo shoot and a guy took a baseball bat to her. It was after that blow to the head that she started suffering from epileptic seizures." Jones returned to Houston and started dancing at a strip club, says the report. "She fell in love with her boss - her manager Mike. Her fourth child [?] was born a year later. Money was tight and naked dancer Chloe was hearing from XXX producers."
According to Mountjoy, she felt that Jones didn't have a choice but to take the jobs offered her. The one choice, however was Jones'- she picked her husband Mike Taylor to work with. "That was something her and I had discussed," says Taylor. "We said, look, as long as we're comfortable with it we can explain to our children some day that this is what mom and dad did." According to Bruckner, Jones' tapes were best sellers and she became an instant adult star. "She did the Howard Stern show and went on a stunt date with some of his listeners. In the mid 1990's she also got the attention of playboy Charlie Sheen."
According to Taylor, who exhibits true suitcase pimp finesse, Sheen had purchased Jones' phone number from a photographer. "Charlie Sheen offered her a large chunk of money to come out and spend a few days with him. I heard the conversation. I talked with Charlie Sheen myself. He was a long time fan of hers. He had every magazine that she had ever been in. The limo showed up at our driveway. The driver came in and brought a big bottle of Crown Royal for me and the limo was full of roses. I rode with her to the airport in the limo. She took off and went to L.A."
Bruckner states that Sheen who had a long romance with Ginger Lynn, acknowledged that he knew Jones. "She was just a friend." The report also talks about Jones' shoot in Brazil for John T. Bone. It was noted that her health was failing although she tried to hide it.
"It was like being on a rock and roll tour with Janis Joplin," Bone told A Current Affair. "It was high energy all of the time. It was high danger all of the time." The report goes on to state that Jones suffered a reaction to her epilepsy medication and had to be rushed 2 am to a hospital. "We had to put her on a stomach pump and IV drips," states Bone. Jones recovered and did her scenes the next day although her health problems continued. But they finished the shoot. Bruckner goes on to talk about how Jones' name resurfaced in a National Enquirer article in February that claimed she had a renewed affair with Sheen. "He adamantly denied it, saying he hadn't seen her since 1996."
Three months ago Mountjoy visited Jones in Houston and said Jones was in pain and suffering. Jones spent Memorial Day weekend at an amusement park with her kids and died June 4th. "Her new fiance found Chloe in bed without a pulse," states the report. "Paramedics were called but she was gone. The medical examiner has performed an autopsy but the cause of death was yet to be determined." It was also noted that Jameson's company ran Jones' website. "Now she's raising money for Chloe's kids."
