A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who said he was inspired to run for political office after watching Donald Trump win the presidential election in was found dead Monday. Dennis Hof, star of the HBO series "Cathouse" who owned several legal brothels and made national headlines when he defeated a three-term Republican in the primary, was found dead at a brothel he owned named the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada. Hof's campaign manager Chuck Muth released a statement Tuesday expressing "great sadness and tremendous shock" at the news of the year-old's death.
No cause of death has been determined. The Clark County coroner will conduct an autopsy," read the statement. Hof's death came after he held a weekend birthday bash for himself with his friend and porn star Ron Jeremy, former madam Heidi Fleiss, and controversial former Phoenix-area sheriff Joe Arpaio.
He reportedly died hours after having sex with one of his prostitutes. Authorities do not suspect foul play in the brothel owner's death. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed by a coroner in Clark County. Hof's name will remain on the ballot for November. Should he win in the heavily Republican district, another Republican will be nominated to take his place. In June, Hof garnered national attention when he won an upset primary victory against longtime Republican lawmaker and hospital executive James Oscarson.
While Hof was divorced three times, was accused of sexual assault on multiple occasions, and authored a book titled The Art of the Pimp , it was reported that some evangelical Christians were a major source of electoral support.
Among the evangelical support for Hof was local Pastor Victor Fuentes, who while critical of Hof's sex industry ties, nevertheless expressed thanks that he won. But by their decisions, they have evil in their heart.
