Porn baron Paul Raymond dies

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Paul Raymond, the porn baron and multi-millionaire property developer credited with staging the first live striptease show in London, has died, his company said Monday. He was 82.

Raymond, who amassed an estimated 650-million-pound fortune, was once dubbed the "King of Soho" for his businesses, including Raymond's Revue Bar, in the London nightlife district.

His stable of top-shelf magazines, overseen by his company the Paul Raymond Organisation, included Razzle, Men's World and Mayfair.

Born Geoffrey Anthony Quinn, the son of a haulage contractor, Raymond left school at 15 vowing to make his name in showbusiness. He started out with a mind-reading act on Clacton Pier, before becoming producer for a touring vaudeville show.

For many...