Sunset Thomas, born Diane Marie Fowler on February 19, 1972, in Sikeston, Missouri, grew up as the youngest of 11 siblings in a turbulent childhood marked by an absent father and frequent moves across Virginia, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee, before settling in Daytona Beach, Florida. A self-described "nerdy" teen who wore thick glasses and struggled socially, she dropped out of high school in 10th grade, lost her virginity at 15, and battled methamphetamine addiction, per IMDb and Wikipedia. Moving to Fort Lauderdale, she worked as a waitress and NASCAR trophy girl before entering the adult film industry in 1991 at 18, debuting in Mr. Peeper’s 25th Anniversary with her then-husband Zack Thomas, whom she married five months after meeting, per IMDb. Using aliases like Sunset Thomas and Diane Hof, she starred in over 235 films, including Misty Beethoven the Musical! (2004) and Latex (1995), becoming a favorite and muse of director Michael Ninn, per IAFD. Known for her blonde hair, surgically enhanced 36DD-24-36 figure, and enthusiastic performances, she was runner-up for Penthouse Pet of the Year (1998) and inducted into the AVN (2001), XRCO (2010), and Legends of Erotica Halls of Fame, per Wikipedia. She worked as a legal prostitute at Nevada’s Moonlite BunnyRanch, earning $2,000 nightly, per Dennis Hof, and appeared in HBO’s Cathouse (2002–2003), later equating pornography to prostitution in an interview with Andrew Anthony, per Wikipedia. Thomas later said she got blowback in the porn industry for openly working at the BunnyRanch. "Porn doesn't like to be associated with prostitution. Even though many of the first pornstars were also hookers and girls today also escort. They don't want it public.