Vanessa Williams Penthouse Photos: Magazine's Most Infamous Spread

Vanessa Williams at the "Sex and the City 2" premiere on May 24, 2010 in New York City. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS)  Penthouse magazine publisher  Bob Guccione, who died  Tuesday in Texas, put the  magazine  squarely in the center of many controversies during his publishing career.

Among the most famous was the 1984  issue which included nude photos of Vanessa Williams during her reign as the first black Miss America.  She was forced to give  up her crown in the fuor that followed its publication.

PICTURES: Vanessa Williams
PICTURES: Tarnished Tiaras
PICTURES: Bob Guccione 1930-2010

The magazine, founded by Brooklyn-born Guccione, in the mid-1960s reached the peak of its popularity with that issue, selling nearly 6 million copies and reportedly earning $14 million. 

"I am not a lesbian and I am not a slut, and somehow I am going to make people believe me," Williams said to People magazine at the time.

Williams eventually rebounded from the scandal and launched a successful career as an entertainer, earning Grammy, Emmy and Tony nominations.

Today, she can be seen as the newest cast member on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" as Renne Perry, the former college roommate of Felicity Huffman's character Lynette.

"It's another opportunity for me to put on the clothing of somebody new," she told People in July. "It's a character worth watching so I'm excited to bring it to life."

[Henri_Rochard]

Miss Williams was very good in 'Ugly Betty'.

[koko98-2009]

Lest we forget the centerfold in that particular issue was a sixteen year old Traci Lords.

[rwsmith29456]

This magazine just plain never appealed to me. 'Hustler' even less. Even as a young man I thought them to be really trashy. If the Vanessa Williams thing is all they have to lay claim to, that's a pretty poor record.