The official autopsy results for longtime brothel owner and star of the HBO show series “Cathouse”, Dennis Hof, shows the well-known Nye County figure died of a heart attack at his Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada in 2018.
“The cause of death was determined to be acute myocardial infarction, and the manner of death was determined to be natural. Acute myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack,” Nye County Sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Tippetts announced in a video released Thursday.
According to the autopsy report from the Clark County Coroner, Hof suffered a heart attack due to atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The report also noted other conditions as diabetes and obesity.
“The manner of death is natural,” the autopsy report stated.
Hof, 72, had tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient in marijuana, in his system, along with sildenafil, which can be used to treat erectile dysfunction.
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Hof was found deceased at his Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada on Oct. 16, 2018. His death came in the middle of a race for Nevada’s District 36 Assembly seat at the time. Hof, a Republican, posthumously won the November election for the Assembly seat now held by Gregory Hafen II of Pahrump. Hafen, also a Republican, was appointed to the seat in December.
The final toxicology reports were released at the end of March with the final autopsy report being released on Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Celebrating birthday
Just hours after celebrating his 72nd birthday at the Pahrump Nugget with a “Make Nevada Great Again” rally and birthday bash, Hof died. Former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and American political advocate Grover Norquist were in attendance at Hof’s bash.
“At the party, adult film star Ron Jeremy was providing entertainment, playing “Happy Birthday” on the harmonica and Fox News host Tucker Carlson called in to say “hi” to the standing-room-only crowd,” Chuck Muth, Hof’s campaign manager at the time, said in a Twitter post on Oct. 15, according to an Oct. 17, 2018 report in the Pahrump Valley Times.
Muth tweeted later, according to the Times’ report: “Ron Jeremy found him this morning when he went to wake him to go to a meeting in Pahrump.”
Muth later issued an official statement from the Friends of Hof campaign following Hof’s death.
“It is with great sadness and tremendous shock to announce that Dennis Hof, 72, passed away sometime this morning in his sleep at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada. He was discovered by longtime friend Ron Jeremy – who went to his room to wake him for a scheduled lunch at the Pahrump Senior Center – around 11:00 a.m. No cause of death has been determined. The Clark County coroner will conduct an autopsy,” the statement read.
Just days after his death last fall, some close to Hof spoke with a reporter at the Pahrump Valley Times.
“I worked with Dennis in the business, I worked with him in the campaign, I traveled with him everywhere and I was his executive assistant, so I did everything with him,” said Hof’s Chief of Staff Zack Hames.
“The last time I spoke to Dennis was Monday night when we walked out of the event,” Hames said in an Oct. 19, 2019 Times’ report. “He said, ‘love you buddy, and I’ll see you in the morning and we’ll talk then.’ That was the last time I talked to him, and he was really in great spirits on Monday night. He kept saying that it was the best night because we had a great turnout for him,” the Times report stated.
A memorial service was held in Hof’s honor on Nov. 16, 2018 at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center. Hof was born on Oct. 14, 1946. He was laid to rest on Nov. 5, 2018 in South Lake Tahoe, California, according to a Nov. 21, 2018 report in the Pahrump Valley Times.
Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com