Dirk Shafer

{{Infobox person

| image = Dirk Shafer.jpg

| name = Dirk Shafer

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1962|11|7}}

| birth_place = Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|3|5|1962|11|7}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| other_names =

| known_for = Playgirl 1992 Man of the Year

| education =

| employer =

| occupation = {{ubl|Model|Actor|Screenwriter|Director}}

| title =

| height = {{convert|5|ft|10+1/2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| term =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| party =

| boards =

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| parents =

| relatives =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Dirk Alan Shafer (November 7, 1962 – March 5, 2015) was an American model, actor, screenwriter and director. Born in Carbondale, Illinois, he was most noted in the modeling world for having been Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year".{{cite news|last1=Stack|first1=Liam|title=Dirk Shafer, Playgirl Centerfold Who Revealed He Was Gay, Dies at 52|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/arts/dirk-shafer-playgirl-centerfold-who-revealed-he-was-gay-dies-at-52.html|access-date=March 9, 2015|date=March 9, 2015}} Shafer related that he did Playgirl for "validation" as a model because he never believed himself to be attractive.Kramer, p. 30 Shafer wrote, directed and starred in Man of the Year, a 1995 mockumentary about his time as a semi-closeted gay man in the role of a heterosexual sex symbol. Shafer's next directorial project was Circuit, a fictional look at the world of gay male circuit parties.{{citation |title=Circuit king |periodical=The Advocate |date=April 30, 2002 |first=Dennis |last=Hensley |access-date=September 6, 2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22dirk+shafer%22&pg=PA50}}

As of 2008, Shafer was working as a fitness trainer and certified Pilates instructor.{{citation |title=25 Great Things About Gay L.A. |periodical=Frontiers Volume 26 Issue 4 |access-date=May 12, 2008 |url=http://www.frontierspublishing.com/2624/features/feat.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080331131054/http://www.frontierspublishing.com/2624/features/feat.html |archive-date = March 31, 2008}} In 2012, Shafer returned to the pages of Playgirl for a 20th anniversary photo spread in the August issue.[http://izzoiz.com/2012/06/former-gay-playgirl-man-of-the-year-dirk-shafer-returns-20-years-later-and-he-is-hotter-then-before/ Former Gay Playgirl Man of the Year Dirk Shaffer Returns 20 Years later and he is hotter than ever...]

Shafer was found dead in a vehicle near his home in West Hollywood, California on March 5, 2015. Initial reports indicated he might have suffered a heart attack.[https://deadline.com/2015/03/dirk-shafer-dead-dies-playgirl-man-of-the-year-1201387499/ 'Man Of The Year's Dirk Shafer Found Dead] Following an autopsy, however, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined Shafer's death was the result of "methamphetamine and cocaine toxicity", with hypertensive cardiovascular disease possibly being a contributing factor.[https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dirk-shafer-cocaine-meth-20150429-story.html Cocaine, meth blamed in ex-centerfold's death in West Hollywood]

Shafer is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.[http://www.wehoville.com/2015/04/29/death-of-wehos-dirk-shafer-is-attributed-to-meth-and-cocaine/ Death of WeHo's Dirk Shafer is Attributed to Meth and Cocaine]