March 8, 2015
Gay Playgirl Model, Trainer, Director Found Dead in WeHo
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A former centerfold for Playgirl and celebrity trainer, who came out as gay in the 1995 mockumentary "Man of the Year," was found dead in his car Thursday in West Hollywood, Calif., CBS Los Angeles reports. He was 52.
Although a cause of death has yet to be determined, pending an autopsy, it is believed Dirk Shafer suffered a heart attack.
Shafer wrote, directed and starred in "Man of the Year," which made fun of his life being a closed gay man who became a sex symbol for women in the early '90s as a model for Playgirl.
After coming out, Shafer became an icon in the LGBT community and later went on to direct the 2001 film "Circuit," which is about the West Hollywood gay party scene. He also appeared in an episode of "Will & Grace" in 2001.
Shafer posed for Playgirl again in 2012 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his first spread for the adult magazine.
CBS Los Angeles notes that the model recently focused on his fitness business, Swapout Workout, which touts the motto that people can workout regardless of whether they "were in a hotel room, an airplane, a prison cell or your own front yard."
Shafer trained A-list celebrities, including Katy Perry, Olympic champion Greg Louganis, Eric McCormack, Tiffani Theissan, James Garner and Richard Dreyfuss.
