Penthouse magazine founder and longtime editor-in-chief Bob Guccione has died at the age of 79, according to the AP. A statement issued by the Guccione family says he died at at Plano Specialty Hospital in Plano, TX. The publisher had battled lung cancer for several years.
Guccione launched Penthouse in the U.S. in 1969 as a more explicit competitor to Playboy. The magazine proved hugely successful and by 1982 Forbes was estimating that Guccione had a net worth of $400m. In September 1984, an issue of Penthouse which featured nude photographs of reigning Miss America Vanessa Williams sold almost 6 million copies. But over the next two decades, the magazine’s circulation declined and in 2004 Guccione lost ownership of the magazine.
Guccione also produced and financed the hugely controversial film 1979 film Caligula. The movie starred Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, and Peter O’Toole and featured explicit sex scenes which Guccione himself directed.
I worked for you for years sir thanks for everything. Rest in peace
He is Ken Tucker’s hero.
I hope it’s not to hot from where he is now sitting …
sandy sandy sandy
Sandy Sandy Sandy. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
You know God created the first naked people.
Sandy — you can NOT judge people. It may not be what you believe in, but ONLY OUR MAKER can be our judges!! When we stand before God, there won’t be ANYONE of us who is w/o sin. Stop throwing stones living in your glass house……
This is a sad day. I shall dedicate one to you.
I wonder how is meeting with the devil is going
and after all the years you’ve spent masturbating to his publication you would say that? For shame.
I don’t know John, you may be able to tell us when you get there b/c you are NOT w/o sin yourself! Stop judging other people — that’s GOD’s job, not yours.
Sandy meet John. For the rest of us, a toast to happiness and pleasure in THIS life.
Thank you Don!
Well, Don, I don’t think it has even to do with happiness and pleasure but more so with the fact we can not be other people’s judges. That is for Our Maker and bewtween Him/Her and us alone….none of us are w/o fault or sin…
I loved your magazine. You will never be forgotten by men all over. As you sit next to God today, would you please tell her to please send all of these right wing conservatives to hell.
This is the dumbest and most ignorant thing I’ve ever read in my life.
Idiot! God doesn’t exist.
That’s over the top Rocco. While I agree with your views on Guccione, only a jack*ss would wish Hell on an entire group of people he or she doesn’t even know.
Idiot! God doesn’t exist.
Mrs. Cleaver, Mr. C, and …..Bob Guccione? I never would have gone this way in the celebrity death trifecta…..
Great pasta chef. Discriminating art collector. Lover of Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Classy guy.
It’s interesting to me that people with such strong opinions against the pub would bother to read on past the headline. It’s as though you’re celebrating his death Sandy, John, etc. Your Jesus wouldn’t approve of that. I know mine doesn’t.
Thank you for the memories Bob Guccione. R.I.P.
So many legends going in such a short time. Even sadder is how many are dying specifically of lung cancer.
Thanks for everything Bob. I’ll always look back fondly to the late ’70s when I pleasured myself at least a couple times a day to your beautiful women. Rest in peace.