Bob Guccione

Washington, Oct. 21 (Reuters): Bob Guccione, who brought full frontal nudity to men’s magazines and built a multimillion dollar publishing empire on the success of his flagship magazine, Penthouse, died yesterday, according to his family. He was 79.

Guccione died in Plano, Texas, of cancer after a long illness, his family said. His wife, April Dawn Warren Guccione, and two of his children were at his side.

Seen as an upstart rival to Playboy’s Hugh Hefner as the leading publisher of skin magazines, Guccione aggressively challenged his rival while trying to keep Penthouse legitimate.

The financial success of Penthouse’s mix of racy photographs, investigative reporting, science fiction and sexual advice columns allowed Guccione to launch other magazines, most notably the glossy science publication Omni.

He also published Forum, Variations and Penthouse Letters, pocket-sized magazines based on some of the most popular Penthouse columns.