Hugh Hefner dead at 91: 5 fast facts about the Playboy founder

Hugh Hefner, Playboy Enterprises' founder and chief creative officer, died on Wednesday at the famous Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles in California. He was 91 years old. This is not another Hugh Hefner death hoax; his passing away was officially announced by Playboy Enterprises on its website. Read on to learn more about the millionaire magazine publisher, editor and businessman.

5 fast facts about the Playboy founder:

1. Hefner founded Playboy magazine in 1953 at 27 years old.

Hefner started working on Playboy magazine 64 years ago in his kitchen table. Before starting the famous men's magazine, he also served in the Army and worked in the magazine publishing industry. He published Playboy's first issue in December 1953. It not only featured beautiful women but also fiction from various writers including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jack Kerouac, Margaret Atwood, Ian Fleming and Kurt Vonnegut.

2. The Playboy magazine founder died of natural causes.

Hugh Marston Hefner, who was born on April 9, 1926, died on Wednesday from natural causes at his home at the Playboy Mansion, which is located near Beverly Hills, California. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.

3. Hefner will be buried next to Marilyn Monroe.

According to the New York Times, Hefner will be buried in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. He reportedly bought the mausoleum drawer beside Marilyn Monroe's. Hefner featured Monroe on the cover and centerfold of Playboy's first issue. According to "The Legacy of Antiquity: New Perspectives in the Reception of the Classical World," the photograph of Monroe on Playboy's cover was from the Miss America Pageant parade that she participated in 1952. Meanwhile, the centerfold photo featured a nude photo of her from 1949.

4. Hugh Hefner's net worth is estimated at $50 million.

Celebrity Net Worth reports that Hefner's net worth at the time of his death is at $50 million (AU$64 million). In 2009, Hefner estimated his net worth to be at $43 million (AU$55.07 million). His net worth used to be over $200 million (AU$256 million) at the peak of Playboy. However, the magazine's sales plummeted over the last 10-15 years. Hefner owned 100 percent of the Playboy magazine and only 35 percent of the Playboy brand at the time of his death.

5. Hef is survived by his wife Crystal and four children.

Hugh is survived by his wife Crystal Hefner (nee Harris), an American model, TV personality and DJ. She was also the Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month for its December 2009 issue. Crystal and Hugh married in December 2012. She was Hefner's third wife. Hefner was previously married to Kimberley Conrad from 1989 to 2010 and Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959.

His four children are Christie, David, Marston and Cooper Hefner. Christie used to be the Playboy Enterprise chief executive officer (CEO) and held that position for more than 20 years. Meanwhile, Cooper currently serves as the chief creative officer (CCO) of the company.

“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," Cooper Hefner, Playboy Enterprises CCO, said.

"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," he added.