Hugh Hefner Has Died
HUGH HEFNER died yesterday of natural causes at the Playboy Mansion in L.A., surrounded by his loved ones. He was 91 years old. The mansion sold for $100 million last month, but the new owner had to let Hef live there until he died.
Hefner kick-started the sexual revolution when he published the first "Playboy" magazine in 1953, complete with MARILYN MONROE as the centerfold. Some of the money he used to launch the magazine came from his MOTHER.
He didn't even put a date on the cover because he didn't think there would be a second issue.
And yes, we've all told that joke about only reading it for the articles, but the truth is that "Playboy" always DID have amazing, thought-provoking content that had nothing to do with nude women . . .
Like interviews with Martin Luther King Jr., Bette Davis, or the Beatles . . . or fiction by Hunter Thompson, Vladimir Nabokov and Margaret Atwood.
Hefner's son Cooper says, quote, "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."
Hef's long list of cameos include appearing as himself in "Beverly Hills Cop 2", on an episode of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air", and making a 1977 guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live".
Hugh had four kids and was married three times: To Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959 . . . to Kimberly Conrad from 1989 to 2010 . . . and to Crystal Harris from 2012 until his death. She's 31 years old.
Believe it or not, Hefner maintained that he was a virgin until he was 21. His final resting place will be a crypt next to Marilyn Monroe's at the Westwood cemetery in Los Angeles.
Tons of celebrities are paying tribute, but I think PATTON OSWALT said it best . . . quote, "As per his wishes, Hugh Hefner's body will be left in a fort in the woods for other kids to find & pass around."
If you grew up pre-Internet, that's HILARIOUS. If not, have your dad, or a cool uncle, explain it to you.
(Check out more here and here.)