Dennis Hof, Famous ‘Bunny Ranch’ Brothel Owner, Dead at 72

Dennis Hof, Nevada brothel operator and Republican Assembly candidate, has passed away at 72 years old, his campaign manager announced Tuesday.

Hof’s campaign manager, Chuck Muth, took to Twitter to reveal Hof had passed away Tuesday morning. “I just confirmed with Nye County sheriff’s deputy that Dennis Hof passed away this morning,” Muth tweeted.

According to Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly, Hof “went to sleep last night and didn’t wake up.”

In a separate statement to the Reno Gazette-Journal, Muth said of Hof’s passing: “I got a call from his assistant, in tears saying, ‘Dennis died and I need you to come out here immediately, I can’t deal with this myself. We had a wonderful event last night. He was having the time of his life last night. Grover Norquist was there. Ron Jeremy was there. He was given a rescue dog as a birthday present. He was having the time of his life.’”

“[Hof] was known nationwide for his role in the HBO series Cathouse, which documented the lives of the workers in his half-a-dozen Nevada brothels. His brothel empire started with his purchase of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in 1992. He was well-known for his proposing that the brothels be taxed by the state,” KTNV reports.

Hof was facing off against Democrat Lisa Romanov after waging a successful campaign in the Republican primary race for Nevada’s Assembly District 36.