Who Was Dennis Hof? Nevada Brothel Owner, GOP Candidate Dies After Rally

Dennis Hof, the notorious pimp who owned a number of legal brothels in Nevada, died after his extended-weekend 72nd birthday bash, authorities said Tuesday. The Republican candidate for Nevada's state assembly was found dead at his Love Ranch brothel in Pahrump, Nye County.

On Monday, he held the birthday party and campaign rally where he spoke to media. Several high-profile conservative and sex industry guests also attended the party. Hof's girlfriend Heidi Fleiss and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio were also present at the party Monday night, according to reports.

Ron Jeremy, a pornographic movie star who attended Hof’s party, told the Associated Press that he and a woman found Hof’s body after he failed to meet them. It is believed that Hof died in his sleep. His eyes “were not full” and his skin felt cold, said Jeremy.

"Dennis was in great spirits and told me it was the best night of his life," Jeremy told the Daily Mail. "We headed back to the Love Ranch South and got there about 11 p.m. At about midnight, Dennis went back to his private suite with Dasha Dare, she is a relatively new girl to the ranch. It's the same suite that Lamar Odom overdosed in."

"Dasha spent two hours with Dennis before leaving him and joining me at the bar with a few other women. Dasha said they had sex and nothing had been wrong with Dennis... He is an early riser and we had an event to go to on the campaign that morning. I figured he'd overslept because of the birthday party. I went into his room and he was lying his bed. I shook him by the shoulders, but there was no movement and I thought he was in a deep sleep," Jeremy went on to say.

"Some of the girls there had CPR training. They called 911 and the operator was telling them to resuscitate him. Dasha was freaking out and praying. One of the house moms had to remove her from the area," he added.

Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said she saw Hof at his birthday party late Monday at a local casino-hotel reception room with more than 100 of his friends.

“He was sitting on a stool talking with people when I left about 10,” Wehrly said of Hof, who she said had celebrated at another party during the weekend in northern Nevada. “I guess that’s partying at 72.”

The sheriff said there was no preliminary indication of foul play but her office was investigating. An autopsy will be conducted by the Clark County coroner in Las Vegas and results of the medical examination could take six weeks.

A month before his death, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that police were investigating an allegation that Hof had sexually assaulted a woman. Previously, Hof was accused of sexual assault by three former prostitutes but prosecutors did not file charges against him because the statute of limitations had expired in each case.

In a statement, Hof "completely and totally" denied any assault took place, and labeled the allegation "groundless and politically motivated."

Hof has starred in a reality TV series called "Cathouse" on the HBO network from 2005 to 2014. He made news headlines in 2015 when former basketball star Lamar Odom overdosed at one of his facilities after a four-day $75,000 stay. In the same year, he released an autobiography about his life and career, titled "The Art of the Pimp: One Man's Search for Love, Sex, and Money."

At the time of his death, Hof had been looking to sell some of his properties to focus on politics.