Prince Mongo, the name used by Memphis businessman and nightclub owner Robert Hodges, died Aug. 10, 2026, at 79, after sustaining injuries in a fall while trimming a tree limb, The Commercial Appeal reported.
Hodges entered the Memphis mayoral race in 1991. Willie Herenton defeated incumbent Dick Hackett by 142 votes, and later reports said Hodges’ candidacy may have affected the outcome.
In the 1990s, Hodges owned Ashlar Hall, a castle-like mansion in Midtown Memphis, and operated a nightclub there called The Castle. In a 2009 mayoral campaign, he appeared in a televised debate wearing his distinctive costume and accessories while discussing crime and education. In Memphis’ municipal election on Oct. 3, 2019, he was officially listed as a mayoral candidate and finished fourth.
