The controversial founder of Hustler magazine, Larry Flynt, has died at the age of 78. His brother Jimmy Flynt confirmed the mogul’s death on Feb. 10, 2021. His cause of death has been listed as heart failure.
For nearly 50 years the founder was a notable figure in the porn industry. He launched his adult magazine in 1974. Later on, he expanded into three TV channels known as Hustler TV.
Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. was born on Nov. 1, 1942, in Lakeville, Kentucky. His brother Jimmy was born in 1948. Their sister Judy passed away in 1951. At the age of five, she lost her life to leukemia.
When Flynt was 16-years-old he ran away from home and enlisted into the United States Army. After serving for a year he was discharged. He then began working odd jobs as a manual laborer, dishwasher, and farm picker.
In 1960, he moved to Dayton, Ohio where he enlisted into the U.S. Navy. There he worked as a radar operator on the USS Enterprise until 1962. Both of his discharges from the U.S. military were honorable.
In February 1977, he was charged with obscenity and organized crime ties. He was tried and convicted of all charges in Cincinnati, Ohio. Later on, all the charges were dropped due to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and judicial and jury bias.
He opened several Hustler Clubs all around Ohio in the late 1960s. Flynt started the Hustler Newsletter — a two-page publication about his clubs. The Newsletter became so popular that he expanded it to what is now known as Hustler magazine.
Flynt’s porn magazine went above and beyond Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine. In the early years, Hustler faced many legal battles over obscenity laws.
When Flynt was leaving a court hearing in Georgia — March 1978 — he was shot by a sniper. Later, the sniper was identified as serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin. The gun wound left the Hustler founder partially paralyzed from the waist down.
He is survived by his brother, fifth wife, and several children. His daughter Lisa Flynt-Fugate died in 2014. May he rest in peace.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Variety: Larry Flynt, Founder of Hustler Magazine, Dies at 78; by Ellise Shafer
IMDb: Larry Flynt
Inline Image by Flynt Sexy Gifts Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Featured Image Courtesy of LouisvilleUSACE’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
