In a tweet on its official channel, Playboy said Hefner, also the star of the E! reality TV series The Girls Next Door, died today, or Wednesday night local time, at the age of 91.
A statement from Playboy said Hefner died “peacefully” and “from natural causes” at The Playboy Mansion. He was “surrounded by loved ones”.
Born Hugh Marston Hefner on April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Hefner, known to most as “Hef”, introduced America to the world of Playboy in December 1953 and ever since, it has been one of the most recognisable brands in the world.
He went on to claim to Esquire in 2013 that he had bedded “over a thousand” women.
The first ever issue of Playboy featured a nude Marilyn Monroe on the cover after he raised US$8000 from friends and family to launch the magazine. It was produced in his kitchen and carried no date because he was sure the title wouldn’t make it to a second issue.
By the end of his life he had built a multi-million dollar empire of clubs, casinos, clothing, mansions, movies, perfumes and much more.
Afterwards, Hefner credited Monroe for his fame and told Vanity Fair he has reserved a crypt next to the starlet for US$75,000 at the Westwood Village Memorial Park mausoleum.
Hefner is survived by his wife Crystal, 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, Playboy said.
“There were chunks of my life when I was married,” he told Esquire.
“And when I was married, I never cheated. But I made up for it when I wasn’t married. You have to keep your hand in.”
A statement from Hefner’s son, Cooper, said his father “lived an exceptional and impactful life” and credited him for “advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom”.
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