Secrets of The Bunny Ranch: Who was Dennis Hof?
Secrets of The Bunny RanchThe story of the life and death of Dennis Hof is filled with controversy and unbelievably high ambitions. He was mostly known for owning the infamous brothel known as the Moonlite BunnyRanch.
Crime+Investigation's upcoming documentary series, titled Secrets of The Bunny Ranch, is available to watch from 25th June and dives into the dark truth behind the ranch.
Want to learn more? Read on to discover more about Dennis Hof’s life and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
Who was Dennis Hof?
Dennis Hof was born on 14th October 1946 and owned gas stations in Arizona and Nevada. It was an early illustration of his impressive business acumen, as he was only 22 at the time.
In 1972, he entered the brothel business when he made a deal with the women from a local massage parlor. Hof would set aside gas for them in exchange for their services.
Hof was successful, growing his businesses and becoming well-known for this venture. He soon owned seven legal brothels across the state of Nevada. Hof built up a brothel empire in the state and gained fame, notoriety, controversy and fortune by doing so.
The Moonlite BunnyRanch
The Moonlite BunnyRanch was the most well-known of Hof’s brothels. The ranch was bought and remodelled by him in 1992, but it was founded much earlier, in 1955.
Hof became a well-known celebrity as well as businessman when the ranch was featured in the HBO show Cathouse: The Series. The show ran for two seasons, with 17 episodes and 10 specials, released between 2004 and 2014. The series was a successor to two HBO documentaries: Cathouse in 2002 and Cathouse 2: Back in the Saddle in 2003.
Media ventures
Hof went on to make appearances in film, reality television, and talk shows. He also wrote and released a book called The Art of the Pimp in 2015 and even gave a public speech at Oxford University.
Political career
Perhaps the most surprising path that Hof embarked on was his political career. In 2016 and again in 2018, he ran as a Republican to obtain the 36th District seat within the Nevada Assembly. He lost in 2016, but was victorious in the primary election in 2018. This led to him comparing himself to Donald Trump, dubbing himself the 'Trump from Pahrump'.
Dennis Hof’s death
Hof passed away on 16th October 2018, about a month before the general election was due to take place and two days after he turned 72. Due to his name remaining on the ballot, Hof was able to win the election posthumously. His seat was eventually given to another Republican politician after initially being declared vacant.
Hof’s death was often considered a mystery. He was discovered by porn star Ron Jeremy in his bed at the Love Ranch brothel, but there were no signs of an attack or foul play. In 2019, it was confirmed that Hof had died of natural causes, specifically from a heart attack caused by hypertensive heart disease and atherosclerosis.
He had been partying all weekend to celebrate his birthday, and was found to have medication similar to Viagra and THC within his system after the celebrations. Hof also suffered from obesity and diabetes, and this was likely also a significant factor in his death.
There is no denying that Dennis Hof had an incredibly controversial persona and lifestyle. His role as one of the most prolific pimps in America makes him infamous, but he also faced sexual misconduct and assault accusations from many women.
Between 2005 and 2017, he was accused by various women, most of whom used to work in his brothels. Some of these accusations included rape and non consensual sexual encounters.
Although his death was initially a mystery, it came as no surprise when it became evident that Hof had health issues, but still continued to party hard. His heart problems, diabetes and obesity combined with the THC and other meds were a recipe for a disaster.
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