Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy Enterprises, died last night of natural causes at age 91. Hefner was best known as the editor-in-chief of Playboy Magazine and for breaking down barriers in the conversations America has around sex.
He launched Playboy in Chicago in 1953 with a nude Marilyn Monroe as the first centerfold, though the photos were actually from a 1949 calendar shoot for which Monroe was never paid. The issue sold out, and though he never met her, Hefner credits Monroe with helping launch the magazine and make it a success. Hefner bought the crypt next to Monroe in the Westwood Memorial Park cemetery in Los Angeles in 1992 and will be buried there.
Hefner's image as a pipe-smoking, silk robe wearing libertine living in a mansion full of perfectly proportioned and sexually available women was beloved by many and derided by others. His Playboy Mansion parties were legendary, though it was alleged in a lawsuit that they enabled Bill Cosby's predatory behavior.
keep this in mind #RIPHughHeffner pic.twitter.com/kqBSBr8lG7
— Esther Povitsky (@littleesther) September 28, 2017
Hefner's legacy has been debated for decades, with some arguing that Playboy's status as an iconic American brand opened the door for sexual liberation and a lessening of the Puritanical values that have kept people sexually repressed and in the closet, with others arguing he profited off women's sexuality in a way that didn't actually enable female liberation. Holly Madison, one of Hef's former girlfriends and star of the reality show about the mansion Girls Next Door, wrote a tell-all in 2015, revealing the darker side of life as a Playmate.
Hugh Hefner's "sexual revolution" didn't do much for women. I wrote a little about his legacy. https://t.co/dlHiKlUkmg
— sonia saraiya (@soniasaraiya) September 28, 2017
Still, Hefner has been celebrated for his promotion of sexual openness and frankness in American culture, and for providing opportunities in print for more open discussion of homosexuality and topics around race. He was also a vocal supporter of reproductive justice, with Playboy being the first major national consumer magazine to advocate for legal abortion, New York magazine reports.
Celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Carmen Electra, who both posed for the magazine, shared their condolences online:
R.I.P. Hugh Hefner 😥 The American Icon who in 1953 introduced the world 2 Playboy mag and built… https://t.co/ZTbEYG8WLh
— Carmen Electra (@carmenelectra) September 28, 2017
RIP to the legendary Hugh Hefner! I'm so honored to have been a part of the Playboy team! You will be greatly missed! Love you Hef! Xoxo
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) September 28, 2017
Hugh Hefner was a strong supporter of the civil rights movement. We shall never forget him. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/oL3lKLZRQ5
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) September 28, 2017
RIP #Hef Thank you for being a revolutionary and changing so many people's lives, especially mine. I hope I made you proud. 😓#PMOY 94 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/sF9ARYgEpw
— Jenny McCarthy (@JennyMcCarthy) September 28, 2017
Hugh Hefner put me in Playboy & ignited my career. I am forever indebted, Hef. You will forever live on as an icon of epic proportions. #RIP
— Donna D'Errico (@DonnaDErrico) September 28, 2017
Hugh Hefner was a GIANT in publishing, journalism, free speech & civil rights. He was a true original, and he was my friend. Rest well Hef. pic.twitter.com/bJ1wxoK4gR
— Larry King (@kingsthings) September 28, 2017
Hugh's former girlfriend Kendrick Wilkinson told E! News in a statement, "He made me the person I am today. I couldn't be more thankful for our friendship and our times together. I will miss him so much but he will be in my heart forever."
Hefner's son, Cooper Hefner, also released a statement:
"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 shared. "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."
[h/t Page Six]
Image via Getty
Fashion
Coolest Person in the Room: Jacques Agbobly
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta