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Vegas brothel owner, GOP candidate Dennis Hof found dead

LAS VEGAS — Dennis Hof, who legally owned a Las Vegas brothel and was a Republican candidate for Nevada State Legislature, is dead, according to state authorities.

The Associated Press reported that an employee at Hof's Love Ranch brothel contacted police around 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to Nye County Sheriff Lt. David Boruchowitz. He also said Hof was not breathing and was found unresponsive.

“Preliminarily, there is no indication of foul play,” Boruchowitz said.

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Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly told the Reno Gazette Journal that Nye County Commissioner John Koenig said at a Tuesday commission meeting that Hof "went to sleep last night and didn't wake up."

Hof's campaign manager Chuck Muth echoed that statement on Twitter, saying that he "died quietly in his sleep."

The AP reported that Hof had been campaigning for Nevada State Assembly District 36. He celebrated his birthday Monday night at a hotel on Pahrump, Nevada. Muth told the Reno Gazette Journal that Hof, who turned 72 Monday, was "having the time of his life," at the celebration.

Porn star Ron Jeremy, a friend of Hof’s, attended the party.

“Ron Jeremy found him this morning when he went to wake him to go to a meeting in Pahrump,” Muth said.

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio attended the party, The AP reported. He supported Hof's campaign.

"The thing I liked about him: He was with Trump and was for the Second Amendment and lower taxes," Arpaio told The AP.

Muth said an investigation into Hof’s death is ongoing.