Dennis Hof Passes Away

LOS ANGELES—Dennis Hof, best known as the colorful Nevada brothel owner who was star of the HBO series Cathouse, has passed away at 72. Hof’s political consultant, Chuck Muth, confirmed his death with the sheriff’s office in Nye County, Nevada, in a tweet today. Hof, who celebrated his birthday on October 14, was a GOP candidate for the Nevada State Assembly after a successful primary campaign for Assembly District 36. He was facing Democrat Lisa Romanov in the November general election. Muth said he was heading out to Hof's brothel, Love Ranch Las Vegas in Crystal, Nevada, and would share more information later.Recognized as a worldwide ambassador for the world's oldest profession, Hof built a legal brothel empire beginning with his purchase of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in 1992. He had speaking engagements at Oxford University in England, Trinity College in Ireland and Sorbonne University in Paris, in addition to being the face of the hit reality-TV series Cathouse. Hof's political platform included running on such issues as overturning the $1.5 billion tax plan passed by the legislature in June, as well as upgrading Nevada's public schools so they're no longer ranked worst in the nation, as they have for the past three years. He also was fighting for legalized prostitution and an end to sex trafficking.This is a developing story.