Travis Barker Nude Photos Viewed 400,000 Times Before Cease and Desist

Travis Barker's nude photos hit the Internet Thursday and became quite the sensation, raking in more than 400,000 views before the hosting Web site removed them.

Nude photos of the Blink-182 drummer were posted on the gossip site MediaTakeOut on Wednesday. The site reported that an unnamed musician - which viewers later determined to be Barker based on his distinctive tattoos -- had sent the photos to a female admirer.

Lawyer Evan Spiegel of the law firm of Lavely and Singer was hired to represent Barker. Spiegel sent a cease and desist letter to the site, calling the posting an unauthorized use of private photos.

Sources told TMZ that the photos were more than five years old and private and never intended for public viewing or to be seen by anyone else.

Some Web sites still have the photos posted. GossipOverload still has the photos visible. A Twitter search reveals multiple copies of the nude photos as well. For any curious folk, the photos are absolutely NSFW.

MediaTakeOut is a blog-style Web site that features scandalous stories about celebrities. It claims to be The Most Visited Urban Website in the World. The site has reported on everything from when Beyonce would give birth to Love & Hip-Hop character Kimbella's sexual encounters.

The founder of the site, Fred Mwangaguhunga, has stated MediaTakeOut gets 90% of [their] stories from insiders looking to spill the beans like hairstylists, bodyguards or bitter ex-girlfriends.

Travis Barker's case will certainly bring MediaTakeOut more attention.

Barker was previously married to Shanna Moakler. They have two children together.