Hustler

Larry Flynt's "Celebration of Life" will amount to one big happy ending -- a fitting homegoing for the man who built a porn empire.

Flynt's famed Hustler Club in Las Vegas is planning to honor its founder with one helluva sendoff next weekend that will mirror Larry's lifestyle. The club's popular dance group, "Sexxy After Dark," will perform during the ceremony.

There will also be an on-stage memorial presentation followed by a rooftop balloon release. We're told bartenders will be serving up a signature vodka drink called the Flynt Goldfinger.

The good news? You're all invited!!! Well, if you're at least 21, it's open to the public. Tickets start at $50 and maximum party size is 4. Social distancing and other COVID-19 regulations will be enforced too.

Larry Flynt -- the famous and controversial publisher known for launching a porn empire -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell us the mogul passed Wednesday morning in Los Angeles from heart failure.

For nearly 50 years, Flynt's been one of the biggest names in the adult entertainment industry. He launched "Hustler" magazine in 1974, which brought him fame and fortune as it skyrocketed in popularity ... and also brought countless legal issues.

Many of these First Amendment battles were chronicled in the Oscar-nominated 1996 film, "The People vs. Larry Flynt," starring Woody Harrelson.

Flynt's magazine and notoriety also led to him being shot in 1978 in a murder attempt by serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin. The shooting left Larry paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair, and he suffered from constant pain and other medical issues as a result.

Along with being the name behind the Hustler brand, Flynt's the president of Larry Flynt Publications ... which produces other magazines like "Barely Legal," pornographic videos and Hustler TV.

He also opened the famous Hustler Casino near L.A. in 2000.

Flynt dabbled in politics, controversially of course, by attempting a brief presidential run in 1984 and running for Governor of California in the 2003 recall election. He also weighed in during Bill Clinton's impeachment trial by offering $1 million for evidence of sexual transgressions to publish his "The Flynt Report."

As for his personal life ... Flynt was married 5 times. He married his current wife, Elizabeth Berrios, in 1998. He has 5 daughters and a son, along with many grandchildren and great-grandkids.

Larry was 78.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club is putting strippers back to work, but the strip joint is gonna look a whole lot different in its grand return ... because everything will be virtual.

With Las Vegas strip joints still shuttered due to COVID-19, the Hustler Club is moving over to Only Fans, where it can virtually entertain folks stuck at home during the pandemic ... and it's getting an assist from Too Short!!!

The Hustler Club tells us it's going virtual with live, uncensored content on Only Fans every Saturday in August, trying to give folks as close an experience to the real thing as possible -- private dances, strippers on stage, live celeb performances, virtual bottle service and the option to buy drinks or send tips to the exotic dancers.

The strip club is debuting it's new format Saturday at 8 PM PT with a soft opening, featuring a surprise set from a celeb guest ... and the following weekend will see Too Short rock the virtual mic.

Sorry, ya gotta supply your own glitter.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club insists its strippers are independent women, but a former dancer is calling BS ... saying she was forced to work under house rules with ZERO benefits.

Hustler classifies its exotic dancers as independent contractors -- most strip clubs do -- but in a lawsuit against Hustler Club in San Francisco ... former stripper Angelynn Hermes says the club told her what to wear, how much to charge for private dances and forced her to work 3 days a week.

Her point -- where's all the independence??

Angelynn says she was only paid tips at Hustler, and she had to share that with the club and other employees -- all while receiving NO hourly wages. In the suit, Angelynn says the club is violating Cali labor law, and she wants the money she's owed and then some.

We reached out to the club. No word back on the lawsuit, but we found out they have $2 Tuesdays!

Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are getting the chance to star in a brand new Kardashian sex tape ... with an earning potential of 7 figures.

TMZ obtained the letter sent from Hustler honcho, Larry Flynt, to Rob and Blac -- asking them to consider shooting a video for the company's celebrity sex tape division.

Flynt says Hustler is looking to be a major player in celebrity porn ... and thinks R&B's fan base will benefit all involved.

He promises they could be looking at earnings of a million dollars or more.

It's a little too perfect -- Hustler honcho Larry Flynt buying the Playboy Mansion and giving his archenemy Hugh Hefner the boot -- but it's reportedly exactly what could happen.

Flynt's Hustler execs want to make an offer on the mansion according to the NY Daily News -- but he wants Hef out of place. As TMZ first reported ... the mansion is on the market for $200 million, and there's a clause in the sale that allows Hef to remain in his crib until he dies. The buyer just has to wait.

Team Hustler thinks it's a good fit for its staff and, more importantly, its parties. We got Flynt last week and he claimed he'd have ZERO interest in the iconic pad. Maybe his execs convinced him to change his mind.

Either way, our real estate sources say there's potentially a huge snag -- Hef has to approve the purchaser, and we're told chances are slim to none he'd give Flynt the thumbs up.

The Situation can always count on the porn industry -- because a day after Abercrombie & Fitch publicly dissed him ... Hustler came to the rescue, offering the "Jersey Shore" star cash to wear its clothing line.

As we previously reported, A&F fired off a press release yesterday -- offering Sitch and other "Jersey" cast members money NOT to wear its clothes ... claiming, Sitch goes against the "aspirational nature of its brand."

But Hustler sees things differently -- and according to a rep for the adult company, it has offered to "pay Mr. Sorrentino to wear their clothing so that he can stay well dressed."

Larry Flynt tells TMZ, “The Sitch may not be good enough for Abercrombie & Fitch, but he’s good enough for us."

Theresa Flynt is being sued by Steven Prescott, Hustler's West Coast District Manager, who claims in the lawsuit ... over a period of 2 years Theresa repeatedly harassed him through sexual text messages, unwanted touching, grinding, hugging, caressing and leering.

According to the suit, Theresa even acknowledged the alleged harassment with this comment: "OMG ... I"m totally sexually harassing you right now."

The suit claims Prescott reported the alleged harassment to his superiors, to no avail. He claims the entire Flynt family felt "above the law."

Prescott is also suing Flynt Management, HH Entertainment, LFP Publishing Group and Hustler Sunset for unspecified damages.

Flynt fired off a letter to Weiner moments after the politician resigned from Congress earlier today saying, "After having learned of your sudden and compelled resignation from your Congressional post, I would like to make you an offer of employment at Flynt Management Group, LLC in our internet group."

Flynt insists, "This offer is not made in jest" and says he is "willing to pay twenty percent more than your former Congressional salary, ensuring that your medical benefits would be equal to what you were previously receiving."

Flynt -- an iconic figure in the free speech movement -- adds, "I feel that your unfortunate resignation is a prime example of unfounded political pressure and the hypocrisy that has invaded democracy in Washington D.C."

Just as soon as the real Oprah wiped away her tears of endearment for her bestest non-lesbianic gal pal Gayle King during a Barbara Walters interview this week ... Hustler had already locked down a couple of O and G not-really-lookalikes for an XXX re-imagining of their friendship.

FYI -- the chick on the left (Misty Stone) is playing Oprah ... and the one on the right (Bella Moretti) is Gayle.

Hustler tells us it is all set to distribute a 75 minute tape, featuring Jersey's most hated Housewife -- and mother of two -- in a naked romp with a mystery man.

A rep from Hustler tells us the tape was shot last September -- several months after 47-year old Staub first appeared on the Bravo reality show. The tape is set to be released on June 14.

A rep for Staub had no comment on the story.

Hustler fired off a letter to Carrie, offering her 500k to play the role of Miss California in an "interactive parody film" called "You're Nailin' Palin" -- which stars the XXX version of failed VP candidate Sarah Palin.

In the flick, "biblically correct" Carrie will have to go at it with Palin -- but the letter goes on: "Don't worry, you'll also have an opportunity to enjoy some opposite sex as well."

In a shocking example of a lack of civility and decency in the porn industry, Hustler founder Larry Flynt is being sued by his brother over an eviction notice.

Jimmy Flynt claims Larry is evicting him from a Cincinnati office building because Jimmy didn't give a loan to Larry Flynt Productions, according to a lawsuit filed in Ohio on Friday. Larry claims Jimmy is behind on the rent.

Larry is also involved in a separate trademark lawsuit in California -- he's suing his two nephews (Jimmy's kids) for selling adult tapes under the "Flynt" name.

Here's the tail of the tape: Larry's famously taken down boatloads of quality classy women, but without the notoriety of Hef's conquests. Hugh's d-list of achievements is a little more well known: Shannon Tweed, Brande Roderick, Barbi Benton ... and of course Holly, Bridget and Kendra.