Hugh Hefner, The Founder Of Playboy, Dies At 91

Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American publisher and playboy. He was best known as the editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, which he founded in 1953, and as chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, the publishing group that operates the magazine. An advocate of sexual liberation and freedom of expression, Hefner was a political activist and philanthropist in several other causes and public issues.

Both the brand and the man became symbols of the sexual revolution. Over the years, despite the various labels and the harsh criticism, Hefner managed to achieve a stunning success with his brand from the moment he emerged in the early 1950s. The first issue of Playboy was published in 1953, when Mr. Hefner was 27. He had only recently moved out of his parents’ house and left his job at Children’s Activities magazine.

Mr. Hefner remained editor in chief even after agreeing to the magazine’s startling (and, as it turned out, short-lived) decision in 2015 to stop publishing nude photographs. In 2016, he handed over creative control of Playboy to his son Cooper Hefner.

His death was announced by Playboy Enterprises.