Jessica Jaymes, born Jessica Redding on March 8, 1979, in Anchorage, Alaska, was a prominent American pornographic actress. Daughter of Deborah and Michael Redding—a DEA agent and Vietnam War veteran who passed away in 2003—she attended the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell and graduated from Rio Salado College in Arizona. After teaching fourth- through sixth-grade for three years, she entered the adult industry in summer 2002. Her stage name blended her first name with that of her then-partner, James. Jaymes rose swiftly, becoming Hustler Video's first contract model and 'Hustler Honey of the Year' in 2004. Initially focusing on all-female scenes, she began heterosexual scenes in 2005. Named Penthouse Pet of the Month in August 2008, she co-founded Spizoo studio that year. Featuring in over 300 projects, including TV cameos on Weeds, Celebrity Rehab, and Howard Stern, she earned the 2004 Delta di Venere Best American Starlet and 2018 AVN Hall of Fame induction. She died at 40 on September 17, 2019, from a seizure due to chronic alcohol abuse.