The controversial founder of Hustler magazine, and the man who built himself an empire through a career in the porn industry, has died at the age of 78.
According to his manager, Flynt died of heart failure in his sleep at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angels with his family at his side. His career spanned five decades and began with a string of strip clubs he opened in Ohio together with his brother. A newsletter circulated by these clubs was to eventually evolve into Hustler magazine - the magazine was to spawn pornographic videos, and three pornographic television channels named Hustler TV. First published in 1974, the magazine is still going strong today
During his lifetime Flynt fought several high-profile legal battles involving the USA's First Amendment, and in 1978 he was shot while standing outside a courthouse in Georgia during a trial for obscenity.
The assassination attempt left him a paraplegic. He had his wheelchair gold-plated and lined with velvet.
Flynt's life has been the subject of films and books, including the 1996 biopic "The People vs. Larry Flynt." Woody Harrelson was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Flynt.
