BirthStone wrote:
He died peacefully of natural causes in his home, the iconic Playboy Mansion, yesterday.
Articles on the internet are covering most of his life story, but here's some fun facts / badass moments that you might not have heard about the man, the myth, the legend to all bunnies, Mr. Hefner:
1. Hugh's first wife was named Mildred, and his last wife was named Crystal. How's that for running the gamut?
Mildred Williams and Hugh
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Crystal Harris and Hugh
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2. In 1955 Hugh Hefner published Charles Beaumont's short story, "The Crooked Man," after it was rejected by Esquire (Hefner's former employer who fired him after asking for a raise). The story is about a straight man living in a homosexual world where he is shunned and abused. Once the hate mail started to come in, Hefner made a short statement: "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too."
A link to Beaumont's story: https://lostgayfiction.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/the-crooked-man-by-charles-beaumont/
3. Hefner bought the plot of land next to Marilyn Monroe in 1992 for $75,000, and will be buried there. Monroe herself was featured in the first ever issue of Playboy in 1953.
Hefner and Monroe
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Monroe in the first issue of Playboy (NSFW)
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4. Hefner created the Playboy Jazz Festival, an annual event where musicians gather to show the world some of the best jazz music known to humanity. What you might not know, however, is that Hefner organized the first festival in 1958, and organized it so that white and black musicians would be playing together on the same stage, he then organized the profits to be sent to the NAACP. Both decisions were incredibly unpopular, courageous, and in fact dangerous moves at the time, and seen as a significant step forward in terms of civil rights.
A newspaper advertisement for the first festival
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A photo from the main stage of the 2017 festival
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5. Hefner was instrumental in public awareness for the Roe V. Wade (1973) supreme court case, by donating money to various causes supporting a woman's right to choose. He made uneasy alliances with feminist organizations at the time, who valued his support but mistrusted his intentions for supporting the bill---some believed he only supported abortions on demand as pregnant women interfered with his goal to have skinny playboy bunnies that he could have sex with at will. Playboy was also the first magazine of its time to publish photos of a trans woman in 1993, Caroline Cossey. This led to her being cast in the James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only
A picture from a Cossey's Playboy shoot (NSFW)
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So, in short, Hefner led an extremely complex and controversial life. His legacy is rock solid, and will hopefully inspire not only men who like softcore pornography, but those interested in journalism, civil rights, social justice, and being the ultimate PlayBoy.
Credits to TheWrap and SilverScreen for their photos, Reddit and Jezebel for various stories on Hefner, and Playboy for the photos of Monroe and Cossey.