Photo: esquire
"Life is too short to be living somebody else's dream." —Hugh Hefner
By Arianna Jeret — Written on Sep 28, 2017
Hugh Hefner, the founder of the Playboy Magazine empire, died on Weds, September 27, 2017 at the age of 91.
Below is the statement made by a representative of Playboy Enterprises to People Magazine:
“Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who in 1953 introduced the world to Playboy Magazine and built the company into one of the most recognizable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones.”
Just last year he ranked number one on Odyssey's "Power Rankings Of Who's Going To Die In 2017":
"It’s nothing short of a miracle that Mr. Hefner has lived a lengthy 90 years with his habitual pipe smoking," said writer Ben Knapp, "but perhaps he can credit his longevity by staying active and sleeping with over 1,000 women... If he actually dies this year, you can’t say he didn’t live it up."
Here are the key details surrounding the death of the legend known as "Hef":
1. His family.
Born Hugh Marston Hefner on April 9, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois to parents Grace Caroline and Glenn Lucius Hefner, the founder and CEO of Playboy Enterprises is survived by his third wife, Crystal Harris, 31, whom he married in 2012, as well as his four children:
- Christie (64) and David (62), from his first marriage to Mildred "Millie" Williams, whom he married in 1949 and divorced in 1959.
- Marston (27) and Cooper (26), from his second marriage to Playmate of the Year Kimberly Conrad, whom he married 1988, separated from in 1998, and divorced in 2010.
For a man who literally defined the Playboy lifestyle, the love with which he seems to have approached raising his children is particularly touching to catch even a glimpse of.
2. His declining health in the last few years.
In April of 2017, his son Cooper responded to rumors that his father was in rapid decline in an interview with E!, the network on which Hugh became a reality star in the series Girls Next Door:
“He’s doing fine,” Cooper assured. “My dad has always made the joke that if the mansion was your house, why would you want to leave?”
“I think because he has stepped back from the day to day operations of the business, people have thought that his health was not very good,” he continued to E! News. “The reality is he has a really bad back—that happens when you’re 90—and he is enjoying life at the mansion.”
Just one month ago Cooper, who took over as Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises, shared that watching his father age was beginning to get rough.
“It’s tough to watch him struggle,” he told The Hollywood Reporter of his father getting older. “But I’m just happy it’s physical and not mental."
3. The fate of the Playboy Mansion.
Hefner purchased the Playboy Mansion in the posh Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1971 for $1 million.
The residence, built in 1927, is a Gothic/Tudor home on a 22,000-square-foot, 5 acre lot, which includes 29 rooms, a tennis court, a four-bedroom guesthouse, the famous swimming pool featuring the infamous "grotto", and — yes, really, a fully licensed zoo complete with monkeys, peacocks, flamingos and ducks.
Hef put the residence on the market for $200 million in January of 2016. It sold after 6 months (and a nearly 50 percent reduction) to financier Daren Metropoulos $105 million, with the provision that Hefner be allowed to remain living in and working on the property until after his death.
Sources say Metropoulos plans to reconnect the Playboy Mansion property with the neighboring estate Hefner purchased for Conrad and their two sons upon their separation, which Metropoulos purchased in 2009, combining. He plans to combine the two into a 7.3-acre compound to serve as his own private residence.
4. His burial site.
In 1992, Hefner bought the burial crypt next in Westwood Village Cemetary directly next to Marilyn Monroe for $75,000.
Monroe was featured on the first cover and as the first centerfold of Playboy when is premiered in 1953.
5. His final Tweets.
In his final moments on Twitter prior to his death, Hefner offered words of support to those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma and reach out for people to make donations to those in need.
And he spent a good deal of time saying goodbye to dear friends as they too departed this world.
One this is certain. His legacy will never be forgotten.
Senior Editor and happily-former divorce coach/mediator Arianna Jeret is a recognized expert on love, sex, and relationships (except when it comes to her own life, of course) who has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Join her Sundays at 10:20 PM EST for answers to ALL of your questions on Facebook Live on YourTango and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.