American cultural icon and Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner dies at 91

The Playboy twitter handle said on Wednesday, "American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away today. He was 91. #RIPHef"

Often remembered as "a pipe-smoking hedonist who revved up the sexual revolution in the 1950s"  he died at his Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

Cooper Hefner, Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises said, "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. He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history.

"He will be greatly missed by many, including his wife Crystal, my sister Christie and my brothers David and Marston and all of us at Playboy Enterprises."

Born on April 9, 1926, Hugh Marston Hefner was best known as the editor-in-chief and publisher of Playboy magazine, which he founded in 1953. he went on to become America's greatest buster of sexual taboos

He was also the founder and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, the publishing group that operates the magazine.

A millionaire, he also dabbled in political activism and philanthropy.

He began as a copywriter for Esquire but left in 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. In 1953, he took out a mortgage, generating a bank loan of $600, and raised $8,000 from 45 investors, including $1,000 from his mother to launch Playboy, which was initially going to be called Stag Party. The first issue, published in December 1953, featured Marilyn Monroe from her 1949 nude calendar shoot and sold over 50,000 copies.

Rest is history.

With two marriages, a fiancee who ditched him and numerous girlfriends, his personal life was as colourful as his professional career.

IMAGE: Wikipedia Creative Commons