Gentleman Hefner had heart of gold
GOLD Coast DJ and Playboy Mansion party starter Sarah Robertson has paid tribute to “old-school gentleman” Hugh Hefner.
The founder of the iconic Playboy magazine, Hefner passed away of natural causes yesterday at the Playboy Mansion in West Los Angeles aged 91.
A former Playboy Bunny and face of Club Playboy in Macau, DJ and producer Robertson became a regular at the Playboy Mansion, spinning party tracks for VIP guests including Sean Diddy Combs, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Sir Richard Branson and Buzz Aldren.
Robertson, who attended Hefner’s last big party at the Playboy Mansion last year, said the millionaire magazine founder wasn’t the wildman people imagined.
“I met him a few times. He was such a gentleman and a humanitarian,” she said.
“People don’t understand the charity work he does. Behind all the parties there – they were fantastic parties – people don’t realise what’s behind all that.”
Hefner’s son Cooper announced his father’s death via Twitter yesterday.
“My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom,” he said.
“He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognisable and enduring in history.”
Robertson went from being a part-time model on the Coast to being handpicked to become the resident DJ and face of the Playboy tycoon’s club in Macau.
“My face was plastered all over the side of buses and taxis,” she said.
A classically trained violinist, Robertson has performed at some of the biggest and wildest parties on the planet – from Bali and Thailand to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Bahamas, Canada and the US. However, she says nothing beats the parties Hefner hosted at the Playboy Mansion.
“The people at the parties are all extremely high profile or celebrities but are all really friendly as well,” she said.
Robertson’s party sets caught the attention of Hefner’s wife Crystal, who invited Robertson to join her on the road as the official DJ for her 2012 Australian tour.
“Hugh created a family. It was very much so a close knit family, the Playboy family,” she said. “All of them are devastated. He was a very honourable man.”