Gay Adult Film Star Scott Finn Dies at 27; Community Mourns Loss of Performer Known for Kindness and Humor

The gay adult film community is mourning the loss of Rhett Douglas Messerly, known professionally as Scott Finn, who died on November 23, 2025, at the age of 27. The news was shared by his family through a heartfelt online obituary posted on a memorial website, which painted a picture of a young man cherished far beyond his professional career in the adult entertainment industry. His family is holding a funeral service on December 4, 2025.

While the specific cause of death has not been disclosed, his family's tribute acknowledged the personal struggles he had endured. In their obituary, they wrote: "We find some comfort in knowing his pain here is over and he rests with his Heavenly Father again." This sentiment reflected broader concerns about Messerly's well-being that he had publicly shared in recent months.

Messerly was born on February 2, 1998, in Ogden, Utah, and attended Weber High School, where he earned the affectionate nickname "the 'goofball' to his peers, the 'handsome boy with nice muscles' to all the girls." His family described him as someone who "always had a way of bringing a smile and laughter to those who knew him."

In his childhood and adolescence, Messerly was athletic and adventurous. His family recalled that he loved playing football, baseball, and on the trampoline, and was "quite competitive even in card games that could end in all-out brawls with his siblings." His adventurous spirit sometimes required intervention—he was occasionally rescued by the fire department for climbing trees too high.

As an adult, Messerly's interests evolved to include golf, fishing, camping, hiking, and cooking. His family described him as a skilled chef who had developed a genuine passion for culinary arts. Beyond his recreational pursuits, those who knew him emphasized his character: "Most importantly, he will be remembered for his incredible capacity to help others."

Professionally, Messerly entered the adult film industry in 2018, working with studios including Active Duty and Next Door Studios. To his fans and the public, he was known as Scott Finn, and his work contributed to gay adult entertainment content. Over the years, he became a familiar figure within the industry, though his family's tribute emphasized that this professional identity represented only one aspect of his life.

Despite his visibility in the adult film industry, Messerly's personal priorities began to shift in recent years. In 2024, he expressed interest in redirecting his focus and launched new social media channels dedicated to his passion for cooking. This career transition reflected his desire to pursue work that aligned more closely with his personal interests and values.

The last public message Messerly shared came in June 2025, when he posted on his X account. In that post, he shared a selfie and opened up to his followers about his personal difficulties, explaining that his divorce had made the past year "a hard life. " This candid disclosure provided insight into the emotional challenges he was navigating during that period.

Following that June post, Messerly's social media activity shifted toward his culinary interests, with posts focused on his cooking endeavors. The timing and nature of these posts suggest that he was actively working to reorient his life toward pursuits that brought him fulfillment beyond his adult entertainment career.

What emerges most prominently from his family's tribute is a portrait of a person defined by his capacity for acceptance and compassion. His family wrote that he possessed an "immense capacity for accepting people for who they are, no matter how they came." In the context of LGBTQ+ communities and the adult entertainment industry, this quality of unconditional acceptance represents a meaningful legacy.

Those who knew Messerly personally have shared their memories on his memorial page, with tributes emphasizing his positive qualities. Friends and loved ones remembered his "amazing smile" and described his "hugs that could melt the worries away." Multiple people noted that he was "always looking out for others," reinforcing the family's characterization of his generous spirit.

The gay adult film community has mourned Messerly's passing, recognizing both his contributions to the industry and the loss of a person who made a positive impact on those around him. The response has centered not on his professional work, but on the human being behind the professional persona—a young man whose life was marked by humor, kindness, and an ability to connect with others across different circumstances and backgrounds.

His death at such a young age raises broader conversations within LGBTQ+ communities about mental health, support systems, and the pressures faced by individuals working in adult entertainment. While specific details about the circumstances of his death remain private, his family's acknowledgment of his struggles and their expression of relief that "his pain here is over"suggests that he had been experiencing significant emotional or physical hardship.

Messerly's legacy encompasses both his professional work in adult entertainment and the personal qualities that defined his character. His family's decision to emphasize his warmth, humor, and capacity for helping others in their public obituary reflects a broader effort to present a complete picture of his life—one that honors his full humanity rather than reducing him to a single aspect of his identity or career.

The funeral service scheduled for December 4, 2025, will provide an opportunity for family, friends, and members of the communities he touched to gather and remember him. In death, as in life, Messerly's story invites reflection on the importance of seeing and valuing people in their entirety—recognizing that individuals working in adult entertainment, like all people, deserve to be remembered with dignity and compassion for the full spectrum of their lives and relationships.