Autopsy Completed on Playgirl 'Man of the Year' Centerfold, Found Dead in West Hollywood

Authorities have yet to announce the cause of death of actor, director and former Playgirl Magazine centerfold Dirk Shafer, who was found dead in his car in West Hollywood last week.

An autopsy has been performed, but determining what killed him hinges on toxicological tests whose results will take weeks to become available, coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz told City News Service.

The 52-year-old Shafer was found in his car in the 1300 block of North Laurel Avenue and pronounced dead about 11:45 a.m. Thursday, said Deputy Crystal Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. “There were no obvious signs of foul play,” she said.

Shafer was such a popular centerfold when he posed for the Playgirl “Holiday 1990” issue that he was among a field of 12 candidates for 1992’s Man of the Year, a distinction he won, along with another photo spread in Playgirl, according to the entertainment website IMDb.

He produced a 1995 “mocumentary” titled “Man of the Year” based on his personal appearances, press and TV talk show interviews and the pressure to appear straight when, in fact, he was gay. His 2001 movie “Circuit” about the gay party scene won film festival awards and is one of the best selling gay DVD titles on record, according to IMDb.

Shafer returned to the pages of Playgirl in 2012 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his “Man of the Year” layout. He worked as a fitness trainer.

• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Twitter User Wilson Cruz ‏@wcruz73
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