Hugh Hefner, Founder of Playboy, Passes Away

Hugh Hefner, founder of “Playboy”, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 91, reported Playboy Enterprises Inc.

Hefner peacefully died of natural causes at his home surrounded by loved ones. He was an American entrepreneur, best known for founding the men’s lifestyle magazine “Playboy” in 1953. The first issue is known for featuring a photograph of naked actress Marilyn Monroe on the cover, sold for 50 cents, and was published without a date in case there would be no second issue. The first edition sold out within a few weeks.

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Born in Chicago, he started as a journalist at Esquire. He was also the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises.

Thanks to the success of “Playboy”, he became a millionaire, with his net worth at the time of his death estimated at over $43 million. Hefner was also a political activist and philanthropist who was active on a range of public issues. He was a veteran of World War II.

“Playboy” is published monthly and features photographs of naked women, along with various articles on fashion, sports, products, and public figures. Notable writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, and Margaret Atwood have written short stories for it, and many renowned photographers such as Richard Fegley, William Figge, Arny Freytag, Ron Harris, David Mecey, Russ Meyer, Pompeo Posar, Suze Randall, and others have worked for the magazine.

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In addition to the main magazine in the U.S., special national editions of Playboy are published worldwide, and the Croatian edition of “Playboy” was launched in 1997.