DENVER — Adult retail industry founding figure, philanthropist and First Amendment champion Eddie Wedelstedt passed away today at his home in Denver, Colorado. He was 78.
An Air Force veteran, Wedelstedt founded Goalie Entertainment Holdings, the parent company to distributor M&M Sales and the Romantix adult retail chain.
Wedelstedt was also known as a First Amendment activist, working early on to galvanize the adult industry for self-protection around the issue of free speech. He was involved with the formation of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), and served on the board of the adult industry trade group.
"I knew him for many years, and represented him" adult industry attorney and fellow First Amendment warrior Paul Cambria told XBIZ. "He was a real trailblazer who was larger than life."
"They don’t make them like Eddie anymore," Cambria added.
Sources familiar with the history of the adult industry in the 1980s and 1990s defined Wedelstedt's passing as "the end of an era."
"Eddie, Lenny Friedlander and Russ Hampshire used to run the entire adult business before the internet," said a friend who wished to remain anonymous. "All gone now."
The FSC, the source added, "is very legitimate and straight today, and able to work 'within the system.' But this wouldn't have happened without the pioneering work of guys like Eddie. In the old days, everyone had to look out for each other because the government was really after the adult business, looking for excuses to decimate it. When someone got busted, Eddie would call up the various producers and 'pass the hat' to contribute to the defense fund."
"There wouldn't be an FSC without Eddie," they declared.
Blatantly Targeted by the Feds
But in 2005, the government finally took its shot in a case that was meant to intimidate the entire business.
Wedelstedt and others — including members of his family who were not involved in his business — were charged with federal obscenity, racketeering and tax crimes, for his stores in Northern Texas, in an apparent case of "venue shopping."
Wedelstedt reportedly reached an agreement with the Department of Justice where he pled down the charges and served 13 months. The government agreed to spare his family.
A perusal of the court documents, 15 years later, show the George W. Bush-era Justice Department blatantly targeted Wedelstedt over “the business of selling and transferring obscene material.”
Feds described his adult shops in 18 states in preposterous, puritanical terms, pointing out that “it is alleged that these bookstores consist of a front room in which pornographic videos, magazines and sexually oriented products can be purchased, and a back room video arcade in which customers pay to view pornographic videotapes.”
His indictment absurdly zeroed in on “six videotapes and DVDs found by the grand jury to be obscene.”
The 2005 prosecutors had no qualms in admitting they had targeted Wedelstedt in a massive, costly multi-state operation deploying federal, state and local law enforcement, because they believed his adult retail shops were “devoted to the distribution of degrading obscene material.”
Eddie's Kids
Wedelstedt was also devoted to a charity he founded in the 1990s, Eddie's Kids Foundation. Wedelstedt, known for his passion for professional sporting events, raised money to make sure underprivileged children could attend games.
Dubbed by the local press “the Porn King of Denver,” he was a visible presence in courtside seats at Denver Nuggets games. A section in Denver’s Pepsi Center was named after his charity, although local moralists continued to object to his philanthropy and lobbied companies not to accept his largesse.
Eddie’s Kids is a registered charity that provides sporting event tickets to deserving recipients. According to the foundation, they have donated well over 1.5 million tickets to deserving kids, families, teachers and military servicemen since 1991.
Wedelstedt had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and was with his family during his last moments.
Today, his daughter Beverly posted the following tribute on Facebook:
Today at 12:45, the world became a little dimmer. The heavens became brighter. Our father, husband, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather, cousin, friend, hero, encourager and all-around genuine human being left us.
The Eddie in 'Eddie's Kids' went to Heaven. In typical Eddie style, it was the most amazing loving moment with his family and non-blood family sitting around him.
Industry Tributes
Several stakeholders from the pleasure products and retail sector shared their tributes to Wedelstedt with XBIZ.
"Eddie was such a dear friend," Rock Candy and Bedroom Products' David Joseph, also a founder of Red Light District, told XBIZ. "This is a devastating loss to so many. This man touched so many lives and helped everyone."
Nasstoys' Ted Rothstein said that “Eddie was an original. When I think of him, I see his big genuine smile and the twinkle in his eyes and will always remember him as more than just an industry colleague.”
Rothstein shared that he "really enjoyed Eddie’s elaborate holiday parties and staff gatherings. He always showed everyone a great time.”
His Nasstoys colleague Elliot Schwartz agreed that Wedelstedt "was one of a kind."
"We had many fun times," Schwartz added. "A true legend. I will miss him.”
K-Beech's Kevin Beechum described Wedelstedt as "a great man with a big heart who was always good to me the last 40 years."
"He will be missed by all, especially Eddie's Kids," Beechum added, also stating that "Eddie was a pioneer in our business."
Photo: Eddie’s Kids Facebook page.
