King of Playboy Dies at 91
The legendary Playboy founder Hugh Marston Hefner has died today at the age of 91. The Playboy Enterprises magazine said he “peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home” in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California on September 27, 2017.
We've all had our own first encounters and personal experiences with the ever famous Playboy magazine. Mine? When I was a child, I found my brothers Playboy magazines in the attic entrance in the closet that our two bedrooms shared. I had the bright idea to bring them to school and hand them out to my classmates as Christmas gifts! Boy did I get in trouble... (These were the days it was 'okay' to beat your child with a belt.)
Playboy magazine was founded more than 60 years ago to create a niche upscale men's magazine, combining images of nude women with in-depth articles, interviews and fiction by a variety of well-known writers. Hefner’s dreams of running his own magazine began while he was working as a copy editor at Esquire in 1952, and the following year he secured enough funding to launch Playboy. The December 1953 inaugural issue featured none other than Marilyn Monroe as its cover girl, and the magazine would go on to become a multi-million dollar empire including TV series, websites, DVDs and endless licensed merchandise and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
Hefner was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 9, 1926. He is the first child of Grace Caroline (1895–1997) and Glenn Lucius Hefner (1896–1976), who both worked as teachers. His parents were from Nebraska. He had a younger brother, Keith (whom succumbed to cancer at the age of 87, one day before Hefner's 90th birthday in 2016). Hefner's mother was of Swedish descent, and his father had German and English ancestry. Through his father's line, Hefner stated that he was a direct descendant of Plymouth governor William Bradford. He described his family as "Conservative, Midwestern, and Methodist".
In the 1960's, Hugh became the public face of the company, and was known for donning a smoking jacket, a pipe a troupe of beautiful women were never far behind. He launched a series of private key clubs that he staffed with hostesses popularly known as 'Bunnies' for their iconic uniforms that included bunny ears and a fluffy tail.
Hefner had a minor stroke in 1985 at the age of 59. After re-evaluating his lifestyle, he made several changes. “I survived a stroke two weeks ago,” Hefner said in a statement. “My recovery is total and something of a miracle. What has happened is actually a ‘stroke of luck’ that I fully expect will change the direction of my life.” The wild, all-night parties were toned down significantly and in 1988, daughter Christie began to run the Playboy empire.
While Hefner was always surrounded by beautiful women, in recent years he’s made the most headlines for the company he kept ― young, blond Playboy models who lived with him at the infamous Playboy Mansion. During his 12-year separation from Conrad, Hefner had relationships with many of the young models featured in his magazine, including twin sisters Sandy and Mandy Bentley, and even dated seven women at once. His concurrent relationships with Playboy Playmates Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson were featured on the reality series “The Girls Next Door.” In 2008, all three women decided to leave Hefner and the Playboy Mansion.
In January 2009, Hefner started dating Crystal Harris, joining the Shannon Twins after his previous "number one girlfriend", Holly Madison, had ended their 7-year relationship. On December 24, 2010, he became engaged to Harris, to become his third wife. Harris broke off their engagement on June 14, 2011, five days before their planned wedding. In anticipation of the wedding, the July issue of Playboy, which reached store shelves and customer's homes within days of the wedding date, featured Harris on the cover and in a photo spread as well. The headline on the cover read "Introducing America's Princess, Mrs. Crystal Hefner". It was later covered on newsstand issues with a sticker that read "Runaway Bride". The two later reconciled, and on December 31, 2012, Harris and Hefner married at the Playboy Mansion in a small private ceremony; he was 86 and she was 26.
Hefner and Playboy made headlines more recently for their decision to stop publishing nudes in the print magazine, and chose Pamela Anderson to be their last naked cover model for the January/February 2016 issue. The statement said Playboy magazine was aimed at more than the market for nude images."Hefner took a progressive approach not only to sexuality and humor, but also to literature, politics and culture," the statement said, calling the "Playboy Interview," or an extensive discussion between a well-known person and an interviewer, a "standard setter."
Mr. Hefner was also an avid fighter for diversity and civil rights activist. He led free-speech battles in the U.S., fighting all the way to the Supreme Court after the U.S. Post Office refused to deliver his magazine, the statement noted. Following that announcement came the news that the Playboy Mansion, the iconic 5-acre, 29-room West Los Angeles estate owned by Playboy Enterprises, had been listed for $200 million. With that came a catch, Hefner asked that he be allowed to continue living and working there until his death.
Hugh M. Hefner was survived by his wife, Crystal, his daughter, Christie, and his sons, Cooper, Marston, and David.