Porn king Jim Mitchell dies

Jim Mitchell, a legendary pornographer who served three years in San Quentin for killing his brother, Artie, was found dead at a home near Two Rock, according to the Sonoma County Coroner's Office.

Mitchell, 63, was pronounced dead by medical personnel at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the residence on Purvine Road. There were no obvious signs of trauma and there was nothing suspicious about the death scene, the Coroner's Office said Saturday.

"We have no preliminary information on the cause of death," said Sgt. Mitch Mana.

Jim and Artie Mitchell made national headlines in the late 1960s and 1970s during court battles over whether they had the constitutional right to sell and make pornography. The two produced a number of pornographic films, including the genre classic "Behind the Green Door."

The two brothers also founded Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre in 1969, a fixture in San Francisco known for its erotic entertainment.

The two brothers were extremely close, but their relationship deteriorated over the years and ended with Jim shooting his younger brother Artie in his Corte Madera home in 1991.

Jim, who testified in his trial that it was an accident, served three years of a six-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

The Mitchell brothers were pioneers in live and film pornography and their film, "Behind the Green Door," was an influence on contemporary hard-core pornography.