The publishing legend, who helped usher in the 1960s sexual revolution with his groundbreaking men's magazine and built a business empire around his libertine lifestyle, died at his famous Los Angeles home on Wednesday surrounded by his loved ones.
“Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who in 1953 introduced the world to Playboy magazine and built the company into one of the most recognisable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones,” Playboy Enterprises said in a statement.
While a tweet shared on the official Twitter account paid tribute to an "American icon".
Quoting Hefner, it said alongside a picture of him grinning: "Life is too short to be living somebody else's dream."
After starting the status quo-shattering Playboy magazine in 1953, Hefner went on to launch TV and film companies, finance documentaries and preside over the Hollywood social scene from his Jacuzzi at the mansion, a frequent location for industry events.
The mansion was sold in 2016 for $100 million to his private equity investor neighbour, but the terms of the sale specified that he was allowed to live there until his death.
LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE He was married three times and claimed to have slept with more than 1,000 women.
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