‘Hustler’ founder Larry Flynt dead at 78
Larry Flynt — the notorious porn peddler who built a smut empire out of his “Hustler” magazine and then fashioned himself into a champion of the First Amendment — reportedly died on Wednesday. He was 78.
His brother, Jimmy Flynt confirmed the death to The Washington Post but did not cite a specific cause.
Flynt succumbed to heart failure at his Los Angeles home, TMZ reported, citing family sources.
Larry Flynt had suffered from a slew of health problems since a 1978 murder attempt that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
The controversial mogul and self-described First Amendment champion was known for his myriad legal battles involving free speech and pornography regulations.
He often clashed with the religious right, and was once sued by televangelist Jerry Falwell in a case that made it to the US Supreme Court.
Flynt was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the Oscar-nominated 1996 film, “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” which chronicled the pornographer’s life, including his court clash with Falwell.
Born in Kentucky in 1942 and raised in poverty, Flynt grew into one of the biggest names in the adult entertainment industry.
He expanded “Hustler,” a monthly magazine launched in the early 1970s, into a sprawling business made up of websites, casinos, a TV network and a licensing division believed to be worth as much as $500 million in 2014.
He described “Hustler” as competition to Playboy and Penthouse magazines, which presneted themselves as highbrow art, as apose to raw porn.
When it first hit the newstands, “Hustler’s” hard-core content drew outrage and the publication faced many legal fights over obscenity laws.
Feminist Gloria Steinem once branded Flynt a “violent, sadistic pornographer.”
In March 1978, Flynt was leaving an obscenity court hearing in Georgia when he was shot on the sidewalk by a gunman later revealed to be white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin.
Franklin didn’t confess to the attempted murder until years later, and claimed he’d been enraged by an interracial photoshoot in “Hustler.”
Despite Flynt expressing his opposition to the death penalty, Franklin was executed by lethal injection in 2013.
Other progressive dear to Flynt included his support of gay marriage and speaking out against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
A self described “smut-peddler who cares,” Flynt also created a private foundation to contribute to research in spinal cord injuries, child abuse and youth violence, according to the Washington Post.
The outspoken magnate also tried his hand at politics, including a failed run for California governor in a 2003 recall election. He was a vocal hater of former President Donald Trump and, in 2017, even offered a a $10 million reward for dirt that would have led to his impeachment.
Flynt is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Berrios, and four children.
https://nypost.com/2021/02/10/hustler-founder-larry-flynt-dead-at-78/