Whoever thought Margaret Whiting would outlive him?

Lung disease? What kind of porn star dies from lung disease? Is there more to the story?

Kudos to the Must for an outstanding, compassionate obituary.

My tribute to Jack on BroadwayWorld.com:

http://www.broadwayworld.com/showtime/viewblog.cfm?blogid=2404

Windy, in response to your intelligent question, my guess would be that the lung disease was a result of his heavy smoking habit.

I agree with F. Packer Musto, it was nice of you to put this on your pages.

"Being open about who he was"???? But he married a woman!!!

yeah he married a woman but he always defined himself as gay-check out the documentary. I am Sure that Mr Musto remembers what the life was like back during Mr Wrangler's first career. Being gay was a lot more fun. This passing marks the end of an era in a lot of ways. And the beginning of another. Wrangler was an interesting hot guy. Miss Whiting has my deepest sympathy.

My condolences to Miss Whiting and his family.
I agree with F.Packer, vava, david, and Mike Justice. And a big creamy canollo to La Musto!
To me, Jack Wrangler was one of the original modern day pop culture celebrities. He was a pioneer who brought porn into our homes. He took the tits and abs physique mainstream by way of West Hollywood while he took it up his firm behind for the rest of us to enjoy.
Jack Wrangler is an icon who has enriched the lives of Americans more than he will ever know. He helped bring generations of gays out of our closets. He found happiness without borders. We should all be so fortunate.

I met Jack about 8 years ago through his wife Margaret (who is amazing and fun, by the way). Those looking for more to the story will probably be disappointed. He seemed pretty frank about everything and it's all been written about and put into a documentary film. My recollection of the day I met him (at their Manhattan condo) was he was still strikingly handsome and yes, he was a lifelong smoker.

"Lung disease? What kind of porn star dies from lung disease? Is there more to the story?"
ONE THAT SMOKES TOBACCO

I just saw 'Wrangler: Anatomy Of An Icon' a few days ago. Jack was a charming guy. I'm surprised and saddened to hear of his passing.

My mom works at the nursing home that Jack died, it was a very sad day for them

I never saw Wrangler bottom in any movie! Didn't he always top, like Musto? Sorry to bring it up here, but that WAS his profession and it shouldn't be shameful to discuss. It was something La Grand Puta mentioned in her comment above ("...he took it up his firm behind...") and I just had to ask. He DID have a "firm" behind though!

too bad i missed him in t-shirts! great theatre!

I remember as a teen being able to go to theaters where the films were being shown in Hells' Kitchen and everything you can imagine was going on in the seats, alcoves, toilets, balconies, behind the screen, etc. There were a load of theaters on 8th avenue and one on 44th street right next to the original Improv, I think it was called the David. I remember I saw Jack and the late great Kip Knoll in films in these places too. I can also recall Margaret Whiting and Jack as guests on Midday Live and could not get over how unconventional she was for the time, especially considering her classic appearance. Jack was/is a quintessential gay icon.

Before moving to NYC, in 1978, my first legit(?) job, at age 20 was as a projectionist at Sultan's Lavander Cinema in Seattle. The first and last gay cinema in that town. We showed all of his films and many other gems that have slipped into obscurity. I was not attacted to Jack Wrangler sexually. He was a real hambone. He made orgasms look like like macho over the top grandmal seisures. He was very entertaining in an unintentionally comedic way, almost like a silent movie actor, He impressed me as a butch queen with allot of bravado. I met him and Margaret, whom I love, many times. Both impressed me as wonderfully sweet human beings with lots of character. I recommend his documentary (book and film) which demonstrate there is no black and white where relationships, love, & sexuality are concerned. Thanks Jack, for so much, especially following your heart!!XOXOXOX

I loved both Jack Wrangler and Margaret Whiting. To think that Jack would go from being the son of a famous producer, to a career in porn that made him both a gay icon (he was VERSATILE for the record) AND the first gay star to successfully cross over into straight porn as a star. Finally, despite his early resume, not because of it, he eventually ended up regularly featured in the society pages alone with Margaret. The man was funny, fascinating, and YES I dare say TALENTED. I'll miss him!