http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7275177.stm
Porn baron and property magnate Paul Raymond has died, the Paul Raymond Organisation said.
Mr Raymond, 82, was the son of a Liverpool lorry driver who founded a pornographic empire, including magazines such as Mayfair.
He was once dubbed the King of Soho and in 1958 opened the only premises in the UK to stage live striptease shows.
Mr Raymond acquired property in London's West End in the 1970s and was thought to be worth £650m when he died.
His big break came after he side-stepped censorship laws that disallowed naked women from moving on stage by having the topless women stand completely still.
Britain's Hugh Hefner
In 1958 Mr Raymond also managed to exploit another loophole that exempted private clubs from censorship laws and opened the Raymond Revuebar strip club in Soho, London.
The club was an instant success and the membership fees made Mr Raymond extremely wealthy.
By 1965 he was on his way to becoming a millionaire and he became known as the British equivalent of Hugh Hefner, the American founder of Playboy.
But in later years competition to his porn empire from so-called "lads mags" stifled his fortunes.
In 1992 Mr Raymond's daughter Debbie died from an accidental overdose and he became increasingly reclusive.
Porn baron and property magnate Paul Raymond has died, the Paul Raymond Organisation said.
Mr Raymond, 82, was the son of a Liverpool lorry driver who founded a pornographic empire, including magazines such as Mayfair.
He was once dubbed the King of Soho and in 1958 opened the only premises in the UK to stage live striptease shows.
Mr Raymond acquired property in London's West End in the 1970s and was thought to be worth £650m when he died.
His big break came after he side-stepped censorship laws that disallowed naked women from moving on stage by having the topless women stand completely still.
Britain's Hugh Hefner
In 1958 Mr Raymond also managed to exploit another loophole that exempted private clubs from censorship laws and opened the Raymond Revuebar strip club in Soho, London.
The club was an instant success and the membership fees made Mr Raymond extremely wealthy.
By 1965 he was on his way to becoming a millionaire and he became known as the British equivalent of Hugh Hefner, the American founder of Playboy.
But in later years competition to his porn empire from so-called "lads mags" stifled his fortunes.
In 1992 Mr Raymond's daughter Debbie died from an accidental overdose and he became increasingly reclusive.
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