Gay Porn Star Man Karim Dead at 52

Just days after it was reported that gay adult film icon Arpad Miklos took his own life at the age of 45, the Florida Agenda is reporting that Man Karim, a gay porn actor for the classic COLT Studio Group, died on Jan. 28. He was 52.

According to the website, Karim, whose real name was Christian Bouthillette, died in his apartment in Wilton Manors, Fla. The newspaper notes that Karim was a "popular local body builder [and] fitness trainer" and lived with his partner, Frank Angiulli.

The medical examiner's office has yet to release an official cause of death and a toxicology report could take up to two weeks to be released. An anonymous source apparently told the Agenda that the porn star was "discovered 'unattended' in his bathtub" and the publication cites a "massive heart attack" as a possible cause of death.

The Agenda's source also said that Karim, who was an award-winning bodybuilder and a nationally recognized trainer, was recently arrested for cocaine-related offenses and that police found a note on the scene.

"Christian was a very dear friend of mine," Ken Hunt, a friend who knew Karim for more than a decade and employed him at his New York City and Miami gym, Steel Gym, told the Agenda. "He was a sweet person whose biggest muscle was his heart."

Hunt told the publication that he spoke with Angiulli who said Karim died of a massive heart attack.

"I remember being at Fort Lauderdale Beach with him last year," Hunt said. "He was very friendly, but I remember him saying that it was funny how most people only saw him as this big muscular guy, how they felt they 'knew' him from his fame as a Colt model. But that wasn't the deeper part of Christian. It's really a terrible loss."

COLT also acknowledged Karim's death in a blog post (NSFW).

"It is with a heavy heart that we report that we have lost one of our most cherished COLT Men from the COLT history books and as of recent, Mr. COLT Man Karim," the post reads.

Besides being a classic model for COLT, Karim started a fitness website, BodyImageFitness.us, and offered personal training services. According to the site, Karim was a Montreal native and graduated high school in 1977.

"I started bodybuilding at the age of 21 in Spain," he wrote in his "About Me" section. "I studied science of education in Montreal, and was a track and field athlete. After being diagnosed with periostitis (the inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connecting tissues that surround the bone) my tibia was affected and I could no longer jump or run. So I turned to bodybuilding to keep fit and healthy."

He also listed a number of awards he won while he competed as a bodybuilder, including the 1995 Canada Cup, 1st place in mixed pairs and the 1998 National Physique Committee New York Grand Prix 1st place in super heavy weight.