Bob Guccione, controversial founder of Penthouse magazine, is dead after battling for several years with lung cancer.
He was 79.
Guccione died at Plano Specialty Hospital in Plano, Texas.
In 1982, the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest people estimated his net worth at $400 million.
He once stated that Penthouse earned $4 billion while he was publisher.
For more on this breaking story, please go to your preferred online or broadcast source for U.S. news.