Behind every billionaire there is a story!

‘King of Soho’ Paul Raymond dies aged 82

Paul Raymond, the porn baron and property magnate who was the self-styled king of Soho, died yesterday at the age of 82, it was announced today. A self-confessed spiv who once sold nylons and hairnets from a stall and was part of a mind-reading act, he prospered by accurately gauging the public’s mood - and libido - in the early postwar years, when ancient pruderies and restrictive laws were increasingly being questioned.

He did so with such success that by 1992 he had ousted the Duke of Westminster as Britain’s richest man, with an estimated fortune of more than £1.5bn. In 2004, he featured at No 62 in the Sunday Times Rich List, which reported he was worth £600m - although sceptics believe this was a fraction of his wealth. He boasted that throughout his life he had never read an entire book.

read the rest published by Guardian here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/03/1