Emily Willis was inducted into the X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) Hall of Fame in April 2022, but just months later she was admitted to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest
Ex-adult film actress Emily Willis, who is believed to be suffering from “locked-in syndrome” after waking from a “vegetative coma” caused by a cardiac arrest, had a tumultuous path to her sudden hospitalisation.
The former starlet hailing from Argentina was born on December 29, 1998, and spent her childhood in Utah before relocating to San Diego, California, where she held down a sales job – very different compared to her later career choices.
Her life took a sharp turn when she matched with actor and recruiter Andre Garcia on Tinder, who proposed she venture into the world of adult work. Game for a change, Emily agreed and soon recorded her initial scenes in 2018, igniting her controversial journey.
Real name Litzy Lara Banulos, Emily moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and eventually settled in Los Angeles, and went on to make headlines in May 2020 by featuring in her debut double penetration act for The Insatiable Emily Willis, a production by Jules Jordan’s studio.
Fast forward to October 2021, and the Argentinian-American bombshell slapped a hefty $5million defamation action against adult stars Gianna Dior and Adria Rae who accused her of bestiality on camera. The legal drama seemed to cool off after Rae offered up an apology, with whispers suggesting the parties reached a private settlement leading to claims that the lawsuit was canned in 2022.
In April 2022, Emily Willis joined the cast of Eddie Alcazar’s controversial thriller film Divinity. Jacob Oller, writing for Paste, criticised the film for having “an extended sex scene with [adult] star Emily Willis” that he found “exhaustingly dull”.
However, Nadir Samara, writing for Screen Rant, praised Emily’s performance alongside stars Karrueche Tran, Bella Thorne and Moisés Arias, stating they “are what give Divinity the tone that sets it apart from anything else you will see this year”. Emily has previously shared her favourite co-stars in the adult film industry, including Damon Dice, Ramón Nomar, Logan Long and Ricky Johnson.
She has also worked with female performers such as Ariana Marie, Charlotte Stokely, Georgia Jones and India Summer. Emily has been recognised with multiple AVN Awards, including Female Performer of the Year in 2021 and a AVN Award in 2022.
She has also received nominations for several other risqué scenes. By the end of 2023, she had starred in more than 700 adult films and scenes, with Bratty Sis, Tinder In Real Life 4 and Emily Willis: Influence being top-rated on IMDB.
On February 5 this year, Emily was admitted to a medical facility in Thousand Oaks, California, in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest. She fell into a “vegetative coma”, but has since regained consciousness. However, she is currently unable to speak and can only track things with her eyes, with doctors believing she may be suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, which you can read about here.
On her GoFundMe page, Emily’s sibling has assured contributors that their generosity is fuelling her recovery efforts, and they’re in talks with medical facilities to bring her closer to her home state. However, there’s been no official update on her health since May.
The update expressed gratitude for the incredible support and reaching the fundraising target: “Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for exceeding the donation goal, and all the support,” it read. “The love and care everyone has expressed for my sister is inspiring. My family wouldn’t have been able to provide the level of care needed without your donations. All donations are and have been going directly towards Emily’s recovery. Apologies for not providing an update sooner.”
It continued to highlight the importance of engaging with Emily through conversation, sharing cherished memories, playing her favourite tunes, showing photos, and more.
It went on: “I want to sincerely thank everyone for all your support and donations. From the bottom of our hearts we are extremely grateful to see the love from so many people who want to see Emily get better. Your donations give us the opportunity to make the best decisions for her care.
“I will provide updates of her recovery as we learn more information and time goes by. This is a long journey ahead of us, please be patient as this is the most difficult part of the state she’s in.”
The New York Post previously reported that a toxicology report confirmed no drugs were present in her system at the time. The GoFundMe page dismissed any claims of substances being in Emily’s system during her medical emergency.
A previous update confirmed the former adult star’s comatose state and clarified that initial reports of an overdose were “not accurate as far as the doctors” were concerned. Emily’s birthday is on December 29.