Bobby Riggs, the tennis hustler whose much-ballyhooed 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" against Billie Jean King wound up earning respect for women's tennis, has died of prostate cancer . He was 77.

Riggs, who died Wednesday night at his suburban home in Leucadia, was diagnosed with the disease in 1988. He formed the Bobby Riggs Tennis Museum Foundation last year to promote awareness and prevention of prostate cancer .

"Bobby Riggs wasn't just a funny guy walking around looking like a duck and playing girls," said Jack Kramer, a Riggs contemporary. "He was a true world champion. He more than anything wanted to be remembered as one fantastic player."

The Sept. 20, 1973, match with King, which drew 30,472 to the Houston Astrodome and a television audience estimated at 50 million, was one of the most talked about events in American sports.

It seemed to strike a national nerve, reaching beyond sports and speaking to equality of the sexes.

He made a grand entrance into the stadium in a carriage pulled by women.

"For a male chauvinist, he did a lot of good for us," said Rosie Casals, who did TV commentary on the King-Riggs match. "We'll always remember him in the best possible way. I always said he did the most for women's tennis."

He played his role of tennis hustler to the hilt against King, who dominated the womens game.

At 55, the bespectacled Riggs tried to finesse the match against the 29-year-old King, hitting spins, drop shots and lobs. She retaliated with long rallies that wore him down, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

"Everyone was getting into the man versus woman thing," King recalled in 1993. "At that time it was the height of the women's movement.

"It helped a lot of people realize that everyone can have skills whether you are a man or woman ... as well as helping men and women understand each other," said King, who remained one of Riggs' closest friends.

With help from the publicity of the match, women's tennis took off in 1973. Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong and Casals had a chance to play in a unified tour instead of one divided by two organizations. It was also a year after mandated Title IX scholarships in which women, for the first time, could have their college education paid for because they were athletes.

Riggs once joked, "Billie and I did wonders for women's tennis. They owe me a piece of their checks."

Born Feb. 25, 1918, in Los Angeles, Robert Larimore Riggs began taking tennis lessons at 12. In 1934, at 16, he beat Frank Shields, a finalist at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.

Riggs was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1939 when he won Wimbledon and the first of two U.S. titles, the other coming in 1941.

Riggs' other Grand Slam titles were the Wimbledon doubles and mixed doubles in 1939; and the U.S. mixed doubles in 1940. He played on the U.S. Davis Cup in 1938-39 and had a 2-2 record in singles.

Riggs began to taper off as a player in 1950 and for a while tried his hand as a promoter.

He faded into obscurity, but that quickly changed when he took on Margaret Court and then King in mixed singles matches. Riggs defeated Court in two sets on Mother's Day 1973 before King beat Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes."

In 1985, in another gender showdown, Riggs and Vitas Gerulaitis lost a doubles match to Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.

"I don't think anybody ever got more out of a day than he did," Jimmy Connors said. "There was always excitement when Bobby was around."

Groundbreaking for Riggs' foundation is set for November, with completion scheduled in March 1996. The museum will feature memorabilia from Riggs' career and interactive displays on the history of tennis.

Riggs, who was married twice, is survived by five children, two brothers, a sister and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.