Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse magazine, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 79. Guccione passed at Plano Specialty Hospital in Plano, Texas, surrounded by family.
Bob Guccione's aim with Penthouse was to create a more-explicit alternative to the already popular Playboy, founded by Hugh Hefner. Guccione was born in New York and worked as an artists before he launched Penthouse in London in 1965, producing its first United States issue in 1969.
Guccione also acted as editor-in-chief of the magazine during his tenure as owner, which ended in 2004. Guccione cited the rise of internet pornography for reductions in sales that led him to move on. According to estimates, Penthouse reeled in $4 billion during his tenure as publisher.
