The longtime owner of Club Madonna and the Pussycat Theater built an adult entertainment empire, weathered decades of legal battles and left an unmistakable mark on the industry.
Leroy Griffith spent decades giving South Florida something to talk about, and its politicians, police and regulators plenty to fight about. Known as the region’s “Adult Theater King,” Griffith died peacefully at his Miami home on October 3 at age 94, according to his family.
His career spanned burlesque, adult films and live entertainment, but he was best known for Club Madonna in Miami Beach and Miami’s Pussycat Theater, businesses that became synonymous with his defiant approach to adult entertainment. Over seven decades, Griffith outlasted 17 Miami Beach mayors and 16 city managers while battling ordinances, raids and legal challenges aimed at curbing his operations. At Club Madonna, he famously allowed patrons to bring their own alcohol to circumvent restrictions on combining liquor sales with fully nude entertainment.
His legal tenacity extended to the Pussycat Theater on Biscayne Boulevard, which Miami police raided 18 times between 1978 and 1987. After losing the business over disputed civil judgments, Griffith watched it go to auction, then bought it back himself for $10,200. The purchase allowed him to settle the judgments for less than 20% of the amount the county claimed he owed.
He also clashed with Hialeah officials over adult films and successfully sued the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office over an indecency charge involving the 1979 film “Three Ripening Cherries.”
Born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Griffith entered the business as a teenager, selling candy at burlesque shows in St. Louis at 17. After serving in the US Army, he managed theaters in Detroit before expanding into burlesque and adult cinema across the country.
A 1961 visit to Miami Beach changed the trajectory of his career. He purchased the Variety Theater, reopened it as the Paris Follies and eventually established a Florida entertainment footprint stretching from Key West to Jacksonville. In 1994, he converted Miami’s Roxy Theater into Club Madonna.
Away from the controversy, Griffith enjoyed a quieter life with his wife, Linda, family and friends, taking cruises, visiting casinos and sharing meals at favorite Miami restaurants.
He is survived by Linda, his former wife, Juanita Gilreath, four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Growing up in South Florida, I certainly knew of Mr. Griffith’s influence long before I understood his impact on adult nightclubs,” says Kristofer Kay, Managing Editor of ED Magazine. “Once I was in the industry, my interactions with Leroy weren’t the most cordial. He was distinctly particular, especially when it came to his club’s advertising, but his personality was very colorful; he was quite the character. He will be remembered for years to come.”
