Getty Dennis Hof is dead at age 72.
Dennis Hof, the controversial owner of the Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada who took his “brothel empire” to television, is dead, the Nye County Sheriff’s Department reports. Dennis Hof was 72-years-old.
Chuck Muth, who is Dennis Hof’s campaign manager, first broke the news of Dennis Hof’s death. “I just confirmed with Nye County sheriff’s deputy that Dennis Hof passed away this morning. No other details at this point. I’m heading out to Love Ranch Vegas now. Official statement will come once I learn more,” Muth wrote on Twitter. The Nye County Sheriff’s Department has now confirmed that Dennis Hof has died.
“The Nye County sheriff confirms that we are on scene at the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada. Dennis Hof has been located deceased. At this time, detectives and deputies are on scene conducting investigation. No further information will be released at this time,” a video the Sheriff’s Department posted on Facebook says. You can watch it here:
News of Hof’s death broke on October 16, 2018.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. No Foul Play Is Expected in Dennis Hof’s Death, Reports Say
Pimp Dennis Hof, owner of half a dozen brothels and star of HBO’s ‘Cathouse,’ wins GOP primary in Nevada: “It’s all because Donald Trump was the Christopher Columbus for me” t.co/buh2YjeOit
According to TMZ, Dennis Hof was found after authorities received a 911 call about an “unresponsive” male at the scene, and no foul play is expected in his death.
Hof’s Love Ranch South is the place where Lamar Odom overdosed in 2015, reported TMZ, adding that Hof recently had a birthday party that “included celebs like Ron Jeremy, Flavor Flav, Afroman and Jhonny Buss.”
Sheriff Sharon Wehrly told The Nevada Independent that the call came in around 11 a.m. and there were not obvious indications of foul play.
“Right now, on its face. it looks like a normal death, but we are taking precautions and doing an autopsy,” she said to the newspaper.
How did Dennis Hof die? The cause of death was not yet clear. However, the reports of Dennis Hof’s death spread on Twitter. Dennis Hof’s famous Bunny Ranch was featured in a series on HBO called Cathouse. The show attempted to chronicle the lives of the sex workers who were in Hof’s employ.
2. Dennis Hof Was Running for State Assembly in Nevada
At @ElectHof’s birthday party/campaign rally in Pahrump. Grover Norquist & Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the house. And @TuckerCarlson just called in to say high to the standing-room-only crowd.
Dennis Hof had launched a bid for public office. His Twitter profile reads, “Dennis Hof is a successful businessman, author & reality TV star of HBO’s award-winning ‘Cathouse.’ He’s running for State Assembly District 36 in rural Nevada.”
His last post on Twitter, the night before news of his death broke, was a retweet of a post by Chuck Muth, which read, “At @ElectHof’s birthday party/campaign rally in Pahrump. Grover Norquist & Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the house. And @TuckerCarlson just called in to say high to the standing-room-only crowd.” You can see it above.
.@ElectHof & @GroverNorquist interviewing w/BBC after big Hof campaign rally in Pahrump featuring Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Ron Jeremy & phone-in from @TuckerCarlson. Only in Nevada!
Hof won a Republican primary in June 2018, defeating an incumbent. “It’s all because Donald Trump was the Christopher Columbus for me,” Hof told The Associated Press when he won the primary. “He found the way and I jumped on it.”
According to Ballotpedia, Hof was the Republican candidate “for District 36 of the Nevada State Assembly. The primary election took place on June 12, 2018. The general election is being held on November 6, 2018.” He previously ran as a Libertarian but didn’t win.
The Nevada Independent says that candidates who die after July are still on the ballot but notices of their deaths are placed at polling places. If they win, the office is vacated as if the person died in office.
3. Hof Built a ‘Brothel Empire’ After Purchasing the Moonlite Bunny Ranch
Dennis Hof.
Dennis Hof was on a quest to make prostitution seem more acceptable. He started what LasVegasNOW.com called his “brothel empire” in 1992, when he bought the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada.
“He was well-known for his proposing that the brothels be taxed by the state. Nye County officials had recently closed the Love Ranch South brothel which was reopened after a win in court,” the Las Vegas news site reported. Hof owned a dozen legal brothels in Nevada.
4. Dennis Hof Dated Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss
GettyDennis Hof and Heidi Fleiss.
Dennis Hof had some high-profile relationships over the years, some chronicled in his HBO show. None was as prominent as his partnership with Heidi Fleiss, the former Hollywood madam. According to AP, she was at his side when he won the Republican primary.
Fleiss and Hof were engaged in 2009. “I’m proud to say that I’m clean and sober, and I’m finally ready to make a commitment to one man – and that’s Dennis. It’s going to be my first and only wedding, so it’s going to be fabulous,” she said.
In June 2018, Fleiss referred to Hof as her good friend and spoke of new plans. “My good friend Dennis Hof owns all the brothels in Nevada. He has an extra license he’s not using. So I was thinking maybe we could make it a trannie brothel. I can see people driving an hour away to the middle of the desert if there’s this beautiful trannie waiting there for them,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
5. Dennis Hof Was an Author Who Was Once Accused of Sexual Assault
Owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch and regular on HBO’s “Cathouse,” Dennis Hof at the Capitol File White House Correspondents Dinner After Party at the Newseum April 26, 2008 in Washington, DC.
Hof led a controversial and colorful life. He was accused of sexual assault. He wrote a book called, “The Art of the Pimp.”
Theresa Lowe, a former sex worker for Hof, accused him of choking and sexually assaulting her. Two other women also accused Hof of abuse.
One man who voted for Hof for Assembly, told The Los Angeles Times, “I did it to piss people off,” he said. “It’s the same reason I voted for Trump. I knew it would drive liberals crazy.”
This post will be updated as more information is learned about the reported death of Dennis Hof.