LOS ANGELES — He redefined publishing, and, simultaneously accidentally gave men everywhere a robe-clad publishing hero for decades. Hefner, 91, died at his home inside the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones and his family.
Playboy first launched in Chicago with Hefner’s ambition and $8,000. Little then did a young Hefner know that his magazine would grow to become a symbol of American culture defining generation after generation. Although controversial, he, remained a fixture among American publishing until his death.
Originally, Playboy Magazine was almost called Stag Party. “We enjoy mixing up cocktails and an hors d’oeuvre or two, putting a little mood music on the phonograph, and inviting in a female acquaintance for a quiet discussion on Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex,” Hefner wrote in the inaugural issue of the then magazine.