Larry Flynt: Hustler Publisher and First Amendment Litigant Dies at 78

Larry Flynt was an American publisher and businessman, the founder of Hustler magazine and a figure whose court cases tested the limits of free speech. Born Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. on November 1, 1942, in Lakeville, Kentucky, he built a publishing and entertainment empire that drew both fame and controversy.

Flynt launched Hustler in 1974, and it grew to a peak circulation of about three million. His 1988 Supreme Court case, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, established that public figures cannot recover damages for emotional distress caused by parody. In 1978 he survived a shooting by a white supremacist that left him partly paralyzed.

Flynt served in the U.S. Navy and was the subject of the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt. He ran for governor of California in the 2003 recall election and finished seventh among 135 candidates. He was married five times and had children. He died of heart failure in Los Angeles on February 10, 2021, at age 78. Remembered by supporters as a champion of free expression and by critics as a controversial figure, he shaped the debate about speech and pornography in America.

Achievements: Launched Hustler magazine (1974), survived a shooting (1978), won Hustler Magazine v. Falwell at the Supreme Court (1988), ran in the California recall election (2003).

Birth: November 1, 1942 - Lakeville, Kentucky.

Profession: Publisher, businessman and activist.

Interesting Facts: He served in the Navy on the USS Enterprise, which recovered John Glenn's space capsule. He was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the 1996 film about his life.