BY PAUL SCHINDLER | Perry Moore, an out gay author and film screenwriter, director, and producer, was found dead February 17 in the West Houston Street apartment he shared with his domestic partner, Hunter Hill, who came upon him unconscious in the bathroom that morning.
The New York Times cited a police source who said that foul play was not suspected, and the Daily News and the Post pointed to unnamed sources who voiced suspicion of a drug overdose. On February 22, the city Medical Examiner’s Office told Gay City News it is awaiting the results of toxicology and tissue tests before making its determination.
NYC medical examiner hasn't established cause of sudden death; cops rule out foul play
Moore, who was 39, was best known as a producer of three films, released between 2005 and 2010, based on C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia.” The Times cited BoxOfficeMojo.com figures showing that the trilogy grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the 16th largest film series ever released.
In 2007, Moore published a novel, “Hero,” about a teenager discovering both his homosexuality and his superpowers. The Times reported that Moore was motivated by his belief that gay heroes in comic books, though growing in numbers, remained in the background and too often were portrayed as the victims of violent attacks and murders.
The Lambda Literary Foundation that year named “Hero” the best LGBT young adult novel.
In 2007, Moore and Hill wrote and directed “Lake City,” in which Sissy Spacek played a mother dealing with the loss of one son and a second son, Troy Garity, who lands himself in trouble in a drug deal.
