LOS ANGELES—Porn purveyor Larry Flynt, who built Hustler magazine into an adult-entertainment empire while championing First Amendment rights, died Wednesday. He was 78.
Mr. Flynt had been in frail health and died of heart failure at his Hollywood Hills home, said his nephew Jimmy Flynt Jr.
From his beginnings as an Ohio strip club owner to his reign as founder of one of the most explicit adult-oriented magazines, Mr. Flynt constantly challenged the establishment and became a target for the religious right and feminist groups.
Mr. Flynt scored a surprising U.S. Supreme Court victory over the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who had sued him for libel after a 1983 Hustler alcohol ad suggested Mr. Falwell had lost his virginity to his mother in an outhouse.
Mr. Flynt’s company produced not only Hustler but other niche publications. He owned a video production company, various websites, a Los Angeles-area casino, and 10 Hustler boutiques. He also licensed the Hustler name to independently owned strip clubs.
