Hugh Hefner dies aged 91

Playboy founder

LOS ANGELES, Sept 28, (RTRS): Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died on Wednesday at the Playboy Mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of West Los Angeles. He was 91.

The media mogul’s influence went far beyond publishing -- he created the sexual revolution nearly single-handedly (with some help from the advent of the birth control pill and the rise of feminism).

After starting the status quo-shattering Playboy magazine in 1953, Hefner went on to launch TV and film companies, finance documentaries, and preside over the Hollywood social scene from his bubbling Jacuzzi at the mansion, a frequent location for industry events. The mansion, which had became somewhat run-down, was sold in 2016, but the terms of the sale specified that he was allowed to live there until his death.

He is survived by his wife, Crystal, and four grown children: Christie, who served as CEO of Playboy Enterprise for more than 20 years, David, Marston, and Cooper, who currently serves as Chief Creative Officer at the company.

“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 defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history. He will be greatly missed by many, including his wife Crystal, my sister Christie, and my brothers David and Marston, and all of us at Playboy Enterprises,” said Cooper Hefner.

The man affectionately known as Hef created and guided the Playboy brand for half a century, helping to usher in the freewheeling ‘60s and making a mark on that decade’s significant influence on movies, TV, and pop culture. It’s only fitting that Hefner planned to be buried in Westwood Memorial Park next to his fellow mid-century icon of sexual freedom, Marilyn Monroe.

Hefner

Launching

Posing in Playboy served as a launching pad for a number of women who went on to greater fame, including Jayne Mansfield, Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith, Jenny McCarthy, and Kelly Monaco. A number of women who were already famous chose to pose in the magazine to boost their popularity, including Ursula Andress, Linda Evans, Raquel Welch, Nastassja Kinski, Joan Collins, Suzanne Somers, Sharon Stone, Shannen Doherty, Drew Barrymore, Farrah Fawcett, and Lindsay Lohan.

The eternal bon vivant personified the playboy image, dating many women, such as Barbi Benton, who appeared in his magazine and marrying Playmate Kimberley Conrad in 1989 when in his 60s (they had two sons, Marston and Cooper). They separated in 1998, and a rotating cast of young women moved into the mansion, spawning in 2005 the reality show “The Girls Next Door,” among whose stars were Kendra Wilkinson, who went on to her own reality show.

Among the Playmates with whom he was involved were Shannon Tweed and Carrie Leigh, who filed a palimony suit against him. Eventually his reputation dimmed a bit as the octogenarian continued to prop up his hard-partying image amid a revived feminist movement.

Born in Chicago, Hefner was a writer for a military newspaper while in the US Army, then went to work as a copywriter for Esquire magazine. Determined to create a better publication, he launched Playboy in 1953 for $600; the first issue, featuring a photo of Monroe, was a big hit, selling 53,000 issues. Providing a counterpoint to the repressive climate of the era, Playboy went beyond the sleazy girlie mags of the times with professional photography and articles by well-known authors.

Long before branding became a common concept, Hefner expanded the magazine’s reach through merchandising, nightclubs, event sponsorships, and TV shows and made the iconic bunny head silhouette a familiar signifier of male sophistication and hedonism.

Hefner hosted the talk show “Playboy’s Penthouse” after getting divorced from his first wife in 1959, then launched the Playboy clubs (at their peak, there were 40 around the world). He hosted the TV series “Playboy After Dark” in 1969 and ’70. “Playboy After Dark” was known for its inclusive approach at a time when many talk shows still booked mostly white male guests — the show featured appearances by artists.