Rest In Peace, Hugh Hefner !

 It is with great sadness that I heard this morning, 28 September 2017, of the passing of Hugh M. Hefner, founder of the Playboy Magazine. Hugh Hefner was 91 years old and died of natural causes.

Hugh Hefner in the 1950s

Hugh Hefner is well known for having started the PLAYBOY magazine in the mid-1950s, in a time where sexuality did not yet have a voice of its own. Hefner found that by putting what he felt should be important to a man of that era on a forum for discussion like this magazine, he would also genuinely be contributing to society. It was a difficult fight for Hefner who time and again had to explain that his magazine was not your ordinary run of the mill porn mag.

Hefner in the early 1960s

Not only by talking about issues like sexuality but by getting involved in the sensitive issues of the time period as well,  ( like the racism that was still rampant in the southern states or the civil rights issues that were a hot potato during several riots in the early sixties ) PLAYBOY MAGAZINE found itself having followers who not only enjoyed the erotic lifestyle of Hefner but also discovered that the magazine stood for something, a philosophy or even a lifestyle. Hence, the magazine was no longer just a nudie magazine, it had become the top Lifestyle Magazine of the USA.

Hefner and Dorothy Stratten, 1980

Of course, Hefner's lifestyle was also criticized by feminists, but by giving women the choice to also show much more of themselves than normal, he opened doors for them that allowed the women to grow, develop and become stronger persons themselves.
Hefner stepped down as Editor in Chief of the Magazine and as CEO of the company in the 1980s, when his daughter Christie Hefner took over, but he remained a figurehead for the Magazine and the Lifestyle. He re-married several times and despite having stepped down, he stayed in the public life for as long as he could. But at 91, Hugh Marston Hefner has now finally gone on his last sailing voyage, into the hereafter.

Thanks for everything, Mr. Hefner.

Rest In Peace, you've earned it.