Somewhere in heaven today, there’s a rather lavish party going on. A dashing gentleman in a velvet smoking jacket, pipe in hand, has just showed up, and the champagne’s already flowing.
That’s because Hugh Hefner, who founded and edited seminal men’s lifestyle magazine, Playboy, has died. He was 91. He will be buried next to Marilyn Monroe, at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, according to Us Weekly. Monroe posed in the first issue of Playboy in December 1953.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Hefner’s son, Cooper, who has taken over his father’s empire, wrote in a statement: “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.”
While the magazine might be best remembered for its nude models and centerfolds, if you actually did read the articles, they were written by among America’s greatest literary minds, including Kurt Vonnegut, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, and Ray Bradbury.
Below, take a look at some shots of Hefner throughout the years, including an interview he did with The New York Times.
Hugh Hefner poses with Playboy Bunnies Playmate of the Year 2013 Raquel Pomplun (2nd L) and Miss December 2009 Crystal Hefner (2nd R) at Playboy’s 60th Anniversary special event on January 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Playboy)
Getty Images for Playboy
Hugh Hefner at Playboy’s 60th Anniversary special event on January 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)
Getty Images for Playboy
Hugh Hefner are Barbi Benton are welcomed by ‘Bunny Girls’ from the London Playboy Club, on their arrival at Heathrow Airport aboard his private DC 9 jetliner in 1970. (Central Press/Getty Images)
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Hugh Hefner, American editor, publisher and founder of Playboy magazine, and his girlfriend Barbi Benton are welcomed by ‘Bunny Girls’ from the London Playboy Club, on their arrival at Heathrow Airport aboard his private DC 9 jetliner, which bears the Playboy logo. One Bunny Girl is wearing a Union Jack costume. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
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Hugh Hefner sitting in front of a wall collage of female centerfolds from Playboy magazine, circa 1955 (Getty Images)
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Hugh Hefner with 1960’s Playboy Playmates of the Month, (l-r) Joni Mattis, Sheralee Conners, Christa Speck, Joyce Nizzari, Susie Scott and Carrie Radison. (Getty Images)
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