The Real Linda Lovelaces

Anecdotes from women saddled with the porno icon's name

Linda Lovelace used to work at J.C. Penny and would frequently hear store patrons giggle when her name was announced over the PA. She once won a radio contest and when she went to claim the prize she had to present a photo ID to prove that her name was in fact Linda Lovelace. She remembers that when she was a little girl she innocently kissed the mailman, who then went home and told his wife who threatened divorce unless he proved he was joking.

This is not the real Linda Lovelace - the woman who attained mainstream stardom as a result of her role in the 1972 adult film, Deep Throat. Rather, this woman is one of many who live across the country and share the name Linda Lovelace. Being asked for their autographs and questioned about their sex lives is commonplace.

In Clyde, North Carolina, a Linda Lovelace went to the dentist who said that he couldn't wait to get home and tell his wife whose mouth he'd been in.

Another Linda, who owns a beauty shop in Gatesville, Texas, began running advertisements in the local newspaper. It wasn't long until she got repeated prank calls from men at a local military base asking what services she provided.

A woman in Pensacola, Florida, changed her name to Linda Lovelace when she married in 1963 (prior to the release of the film). Once the film started playing in her hometown, everybody started buzzing about her name. She once signed for a UPS package and the driver insisted she had given a false identity. She remembers another incident when a cashier at a grocery store asked, after carefully analyzing her check, if that was her real name. Linda laughed as always, and the woman said that if that were her name she would change it.

In Chino Hills, California, a Linda got engaged to a Lovelace six months after the film was released. Her mom was none too happy with the upcoming name change and wondered if her fiance could change his last name to hers. While in a grocery store, a bagger saw that her name was Linda Lovelace and asked for an autograph.

In April 2002, a Linda Lovelace in Deale, Maryland, was overwhelmed with phone calls when the news broke that Linda had died from injuries sustained in a car accident. "I've read her book and know her story, which is sad," she said. "I just wish she could have had as much fun with the name as I have."

Despite Linda's death, the jokes haven't stopped and the legacy obviously lives on.

- Ashley York, Inside Deep Throat associate producer