Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner has died at the age of 91.
According to Playboy Enterprises Inc, Hugh Hefner passed away peacefully at home in Los Angeles, from natural causes.
Hugh Hefner began publishing Playboy in his kitchen in 1953. It became the largest-selling men’s magazine in the world, shifting 7 million copies a month at its peak.
His son, Cooper Hefner, said he would be “greatly missed by many”.
Cooper Hefner paid tribute to his father’s “exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer,” and called him an advocate for free speech and civil rights.
Playboy magazine made Hugh Hefner a multi-millionaire, spawning a business empire that included casinos and nightclubs.
The first edition featured a set of photographs of Marilyn Monroe that Hugh Hefner had bought for $200. They had originally been shot for a 1949 calendar.
The silk pyjama-clad mogul became famous for his hedonism, dating and marrying Playboy models. In his later years he threw decadent parties at the luxurious Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.
“I am a kid in a candy store,” Hugh Hefner famously said.
“I dreamed impossible dreams, and the dreams turned out beyond anything I could possibly imagine. I’m the luckiest cat on the planet.”
From 2005-2010, a reality TV show called “The Girls Next Door” showcased Hugh Hefner’s lifestyle – and the harem of young blonde women who shared it.
In 2012, aged 86, Hugh Hefner married his third wife Crystal Harris – who was 60 years his junior.
Announcing its founder’s death, Playboy tweeted on September 28: “American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away today. He was 91. #RIPHef”
The magazine’s most significant interviewees included civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and Fidel Castro.
Its huge sales were certainly driven by glossy color pictures of “playmates”, but it also developed a reputation for fine writing, with Norman Mailer, Kingsley Amis, Kurt Vonnegut, James Baldwin, Vladimir Nabokov and Ray Bradbury among its contributors.
Their contributions allowed men to say they did not buy the magazine only for the pictures.
President Donald Trump appeared on the cover in March 1990, with the tag-line: “Nice magazine, want to sell it?”
In the 1980s, Playboy‘s circulation decline, and Hugh Hefner himself suffered a stroke in 1985.
His daughter Christie took over Playboy Enterprises four years later, and Hugh Hefner retreated to his mansion, living with a bevy of women. Cooper Hefner took on a major role in the company in 2014 after Christie stepped down in 2009.
Last year, a neighbor of Hugh Hefner bought the Playboy mansion for $100 million, but agreed Hefner could continue to live there until he died.
Official pictures from inside Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner’s nuptials at the Playboy Mansion have finally been revealed, showing the pair’s magical day in all its glory.
In the shots, Crystal Harris, 26, wearing a pale pink mermaid dress, is seen cuddling up to her new 86-year-old husband, who looked dapper in his black tuxedo.
The newlyweds smile for the camera as they pose up underneath a floral archway, with Crystal Harris keeping a tight hold on Hugh Hefner’s dog Charlie, who was dressed in a cute tuxedo for the occasion.
In another shot, Crystal Harris and her Playboy magnate husband toasted the future with a glass of champagne while cutting their wedding cake – which featured a picture of the happy couple on the top.
Earlier in the day, Crystal Harris had shared pictures of her happy day, and her stunning but revealing dress, on her Twitter page.
The frock, which Crystal Harris described as her “mermaid dress”, was far sexier than a typical bridal gown and showed off a good deal of her ample cleavage.
The dress was fitted to Crystal Harris’ trim figure and the full skirt boasted pretty ruffles.
Official pictures from inside Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner’s nuptials at the Playboy Mansion
Following the ceremony, the newlyweds then rang in 2013 with party hats and horns – and they had plenty to celebrate.
And to mark the New Year in style, Hugh Hefner opted to go for comfort as he changed into his trademark velvet smoking jacket and jaunty sailor’s cap.
Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper was not in attendance as he was hosting a Playboy New Year’s Eve party in London, and it is unclear if his daughter Christie or sons David and Marston were at the ceremony.
Crystal Harris had spent the day tweeting her excitement about the impending nuptials, including an image of a flower covered bower in front of just two dozen chairs.
Hugh Hefner shared a picture of him and his bride, tweeting: “Crystal & I married on New Year’s Eve in the Mansion with Keith as my Best Man. Love that girl!”
Crystal Harris had earlier written: “Today is the day I become Mrs. Hugh Hefner. Feeling very happy, lucky, and blessed.”
She has changed her name on the social networking site to Crystal Hefner.
Crystal Harris was dubbed a “runaway bride” by the 86-year-old mogul after she called off their engagement just days before their wedding in June 2011, with 300 guests due to attend.
After their split, the model revealed she had only been intimate with him once – and very briefly.
Crystal Harris admitted sex with the octogenarian lasted “like two seconds”, adding: “Then I was just over it. I was like, <<Ahhh>>. I was over it. I just like, walked away. I’m not turned on by Hef, sorry.”
She continued: “He doesn’t really take off his clothes. I’ve never seen Hef naked.”
Despite her comments, the pair reconciled in May this year.
Crystal Harris has finally become Mrs. Hefner, saying her vows to Hugh Hefner in a much smaller ceremony.
Crystal Harris, 26, spent New Year’s Eve tweeting her excitement about the impending nuptials, including an image of a flower covered bower in front of just two dozen chairs.
Hugh Hefner shared a picture of him and his bride, tweeting: “Crystal & I married on New Year’s Eve in the Mansion with Keith as my Best Man. Love that girl!”
Crystal Harris had earlier written: “Today is the day I become Mrs. Hugh Hefner. Feeling very happy, lucky, and blessed.”
The model has changed her name on the social networking site to Crystal Hefner.
She was dubbed a “runaway bride” by the 86-year-old mogul after she called off their engagement just days before their wedding in June 2011.
Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner married on New Year’s Eve at Playboy mansion
After their split, Crystal Harris revealed she had only been intimate with him once – and very briefly.
She admitted sex with the octogenarian lasted “like two seconds”, adding: “Then I was just over it. I was like, <<Ahhh>>. I was over it.
“I just like, walked away. I’m not turned on by Hef, sorry.”
Crustal Harris continued: “He doesn’t really take off his clothes. I’ve never seen Hef naked.”
Despite her comments, the pair reconciled in May this year.
Hugh Hefner recently said he wants to stay with Crystal Harris until he dies and insisted he doesn’t care about the 60-year age difference between them.
He tweeted: “The dramatic age difference between Crystal & me really doesn’t matter. Whatever time I have left, we want to spend together.”
Hugh Hefner has been married twice previously, to Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959 and Kimberley Conrad from 1989 to 2010.
Crystal Harris, a woman who had been raped in her violent marriage has been victimized all over again after being forced to pay her her abusive ex-husband spousal support.
Crystal Harris is a financial analyst who makes a six-figure salary and said she had been supporting her out-of-work husband Shawn Harris for years.
When Crystal Harris hauled him to court following a violent sex attack, she was shocked to learn what the divorce would cost her.
Shawn Harris was jailed and forced to register as a sex offender after he was convicted of spousal rape last year.
After his conviction was handed down, Shawn Harris requested spousal support – and it was granted.
Crystal Harris, who had been raped in her violent marriage, has been victimized all over again after being forced to pay her her abusive ex-husband spousal support
In cases such as this, the court will normally award $3,000 a month in spousal support, but lowered it to $1,000 amid the abuse claims.
“I call that the rape discount,”Crystal Harris told ABC News.
In addition, Crystal Harris was ordered to pay her ex-husband’s legal fees from the divorce case.
Crystal Harris told 10News.com: “It makes me feel victimized all over again that I should have to pay a dime to this man who has turned my life upside down.”
Throughout the trial, Shawn Harris claimed he was role-playing with his wife, an activity he said they often took part in, posing as Tarzan and Jane or a hooker and pimp.
Throughout the trial, Shawn Harris claimed he was role-playing with his wife
One of the key pieces of evidence used to convict him was a tape recorder that Crystal Harris had hidden in her underwear drawer on the night of the attack.
Crystal Harris told ABC News: “To this day I feel broken-hearted about the fact that this has all happened. I’m not happy about the way my life has turned out.”
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