MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2021) Larry Flynt, the controversial and renowned US pornography publisher and free speech pioneer, died in Los Angeles at the age of 78, media reported.
According to the Washington Post, Flynt passed away late on Thursday at the Cedars Sinai hospital in the presence of his family after a sudden onset of illness.
Flynt founded the Hustler magazine, which was seen as the raucous and lowbrow competitor to Playboy. Flynt often used the magazine to court controversy and push the limits of free speech, often winding up in court over his publications.
According to Flynt's autobiography, Hustler at its height had over $150 million in turnover.
An assassination attempt in 1978 left him paraplegic, but he acquired a gold-plated wheelchair outfitted with velvet. His would-be assassin was a self-confessed white supremacist who took issue with Flynt's depiction of interracial sex. He was later executed over separate racially-charged murders.
Most notably, Flynt won a Supreme Court battle extending the limits of free speech over libel and slander laws in the United States. He was sued for $50 million by prominent evangelical pastor Jerry Falwell for libel over obscene satirical publications mocking him. The Panel of Nine ruled that Falwell, being a public figure in the spotlight, was subject to satire and free speech more so than private citizens. This ushered in an era of biting comedy around celebrities and public figures.
His life was depicted in the 1996 film The People Vs. Larry Flynt, where he was played by Woody Harrelson.
He is survived by four children.
