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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa businessman, activist, and “Strip Club King” Joe Redner died Friday morning at 86, his family confirmed.
One of Redner’s children, Joy Lynn Redner, posted the announcement to her father’s Facebook page at around 10 p.m. on Oct. 16.
“We love you. You will be missed Dad. Joe Redner passed away this morning. He died peacefully in his sleep,’ she wrote.
His lawyer, Luke Lirot, confirmed to 8 On Your Side that Redner died after his lung cancer came back.
“He was so wonderful to have given me the privilege to work with him. I would never be who I am without him,” Lirot said.
Redner, originally from New Jersey, was best known as the long-time owner and operator of Mons Venus, a strip club he opened in 1981 on Dale Mabry.
But he also made a name for himself in local politics and political activism, advocating for medical marijuana and gay pride events.
He also found himself at the center of legal battles with local governments, which fought him on having fully nude performers in his clubs.
The “world famous” Mons Venus club was sold in 2025 to 2001 Odyssey, according to the Tampa Bay Times, but Redner maintained ownership of the land and acted as the business’s landlord.
Redner celebrated wins and suffered losses throughout his time as an activist and business owner, but solidified himself as a central figure in Tampa’s adult entertainment industry and is credited with helping put it on the map.
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