Flamboyant TV Reporter Zindler Dead At 85

The flamboyant Houston television consumer reporter whose crusade against a rural brothel inspired the play and movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is dead.

Officials at KTRK say Marvin Zindler died of complications from pancreatic cancer Sunday. He was 85.

Zindler landed at KTRK in 1973, soon after being fired at age 51 from the Harris County Sheriff's Department, where he had fought consumer fraud. He quickly made his mark by railing against "a bawdy house" allowed to operate near La Grange. His TV reports exposing the Chicken Ranch and the local law enforcement conspiracy that allowed it to operate eventually led to its closure.

His fame grew when a Playboy magazine story followed. "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" became a Broadway smash and propelled Zindler to national renown.

Zindler was known for his powder-white toupee, colorful suits and colored glasses.