https://www.yahoo.com/news/hugh-hefner-founder-playboy-dead-031914304.html
Playboy founder and legendary ladies’ man Hugh Hefner has died at the age of 91, according to Playboy Enterprises.
The magazine said he was surrounded by loved ones and “peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home.”
“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,” Hefner’s son Cooper said in a statement. “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.”
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American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away today. He was 91. #RIPHef
11:13 PM - Sep 27, 2017
Hefner’s dream 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.
View photos
Hugh Hefner with Sylvia Sidney, Joan Bradshaw and Caroline Mitchell at a Playboy party in Los Angeles on June 26, 1957. (Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)
In the 1960s, Hefner became the public face of the company and was known for his smoking jacket, his pipe and the assurance that wherever he was, a bevy of beautiful women surrounded him. He launched a series of private key clubs that he staffed with hostesses known as Bunnies for their now-iconic uniforms that included ears and a tail.
View photos
Playboy editor and tycoon Hugh Hefner is greeted by a group of Bunnies from his Playboy Clubs as he arrives in London in 1966. (Dove via Getty Images)
View photos
Geraldo Rivera, left, and Hugh Henfer filming a "Tribute to Marlon Brandon" on June 6, 1974. (ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images)
“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.”
He handed over his empire to daughter Christie, who had been president of Playboy Enterprises since 1982. She began running the company as chairman of the board and CEO in 1988.
View photos
Hugh Hefner with his daughter Christie Hefner at the re-opening of the Playboy Club in New York City on Oct. 29, 1985. (Yvonne Hemsey via Getty Images)
In 2009, Scott Flanders replaced Hefner’s daughter as CEO and Playboy Enterprises Inc. began to make a radical shift focusing on its branding potential and licensing opportunities.
In that same article, THR broached the subject of death, but it was not something Hefner ever talked about, a close colleague said. Hefner said he was not afraid of death and had no faith in any afterlife. And his death wasn’t just a subject that Hefner avoided ― at the time, the company hadn’t thought about it either.
“That’s hard to imagine. There’s no succession plan,” Flanders told THR.
View photos
Hugh Hefner, Marsden Hefner and wife Kimberly Conrad at the Playboy Playmate of the Year Celebration on April 25, 1991. (Ron Galella via Getty Images)
View photos
Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. The reality series "The Girls Next Door" followed Hefner's relationships with the three women. (Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
View photos
Kristina and Karissa Shannon, Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris attend Hugh Hefner's 83rd birthday pool party at the Palms Resort & Casino on April 4, 2009, in Las Vegas. (Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
View photos
Hugh Hefner and wife Crystal Hefner attend the annual Halloween Party at the Playboy Mansion on Oct. 24, 2015. (Charley Gallay via Getty Images)
The magazine decided to put nudity back in the magazine earlier this year in an effort to take its “identity back” and reclaim “who we are.”
In an interview for Larry King’s 2004 book, “Remember Me When I’m Gone,” Hefner shared his thoughts on his legacy at Playboy and beyond.
“I’d like to be remembered as someone who played some part in changing our hurtful and hypocritical views on sex ― and had a lot of fun doing it.”
Hefner is survived by his wife, Crystal, and his children Cooper, Christie, Marston and David.
Playboy founder and legendary ladies’ man Hugh Hefner has died at the age of 91, according to Playboy Enterprises.
The magazine said he was surrounded by loved ones and “peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home.”
“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,” Hefner’s son Cooper said in a statement. “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.”
View image on Twitter
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Playboy @PlayboyAmerican Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away today. He was 91. #RIPHef
11:13 PM - Sep 27, 2017
Hefner’s dream 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.
View photos
Hugh Hefner with Sylvia Sidney, Joan Bradshaw and Caroline Mitchell at a Playboy party in Los Angeles on June 26, 1957. (Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)
In the 1960s, Hefner became the public face of the company and was known for his smoking jacket, his pipe and the assurance that wherever he was, a bevy of beautiful women surrounded him. He launched a series of private key clubs that he staffed with hostesses known as Bunnies for their now-iconic uniforms that included ears and a tail.
View photos
Playboy editor and tycoon Hugh Hefner is greeted by a group of Bunnies from his Playboy Clubs as he arrives in London in 1966. (Dove via Getty Images)
View photos
Geraldo Rivera, left, and Hugh Henfer filming a "Tribute to Marlon Brandon" on June 6, 1974. (ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images)
“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.”
He handed over his empire to daughter Christie, who had been president of Playboy Enterprises since 1982. She began running the company as chairman of the board and CEO in 1988.
View photos
Hugh Hefner with his daughter Christie Hefner at the re-opening of the Playboy Club in New York City on Oct. 29, 1985. (Yvonne Hemsey via Getty Images)
In 2009, Scott Flanders replaced Hefner’s daughter as CEO and Playboy Enterprises Inc. began to make a radical shift focusing on its branding potential and licensing opportunities.
In that same article, THR broached the subject of death, but it was not something Hefner ever talked about, a close colleague said. Hefner said he was not afraid of death and had no faith in any afterlife. And his death wasn’t just a subject that Hefner avoided ― at the time, the company hadn’t thought about it either.
“That’s hard to imagine. There’s no succession plan,” Flanders told THR.
View photos
Hugh Hefner, Marsden Hefner and wife Kimberly Conrad at the Playboy Playmate of the Year Celebration on April 25, 1991. (Ron Galella via Getty Images)
View photos
Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. The reality series "The Girls Next Door" followed Hefner's relationships with the three women. (Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
View photos
Kristina and Karissa Shannon, Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris attend Hugh Hefner's 83rd birthday pool party at the Palms Resort & Casino on April 4, 2009, in Las Vegas. (Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
View photos
Hugh Hefner and wife Crystal Hefner attend the annual Halloween Party at the Playboy Mansion on Oct. 24, 2015. (Charley Gallay via Getty Images)
The magazine decided to put nudity back in the magazine earlier this year in an effort to take its “identity back” and reclaim “who we are.”
In an interview for Larry King’s 2004 book, “Remember Me When I’m Gone,” Hefner shared his thoughts on his legacy at Playboy and beyond.
“I’d like to be remembered as someone who played some part in changing our hurtful and hypocritical views on sex ― and had a lot of fun doing it.”
Hefner is survived by his wife, Crystal, and his children Cooper, Christie, Marston and David.
