Hugh Hefner died at the age of 91 on Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by his friends and family in Southern California.
The iconic editor founded Playboy in 1953, publishing a nude centerfold of Marilyn Monroe in his first-ever public edition, immediately causing an uproar in an uptight society. The magazine was inspired by Hef’s ‘first love’ Mildred Williams, who admitted to infidelity just weeks before their marriage in 1949. A career focused on overcoming heartbreak ignite one of the most controversial time periods in the past century, forever solidifying Hugh Hefner’s place in the history books.
Below are 12 rare photographs that you’ve probably never seen before, capturing the legend in his natural environment.
1. Hugh Hefner working hard at his desk/bed in Chicago.
2. Hefner aboard Playboy’s ‘Big Bunny’ private jet, sitting on his fur round-bed alongside Barbie Benton.
3. A young Hugh Hefner poses in-front of his infamous nude centerfolds.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Hefner & Wilt Chamberlain at Playboy Mansion West in 1977.
5. Hugh Hefner and his first wife Mildred Williams at their wedding in 1949, just weeks after she admitted to infidelity.
6. A party at the Playboy Mansion.
7. Hugh Hefner and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
8. Hef at his round desk/bed in the Chicago Playboy Mansion.
9. Hugh Hefner and Barbie Benton fishing, 1970 in Miami.
10. Two legends: Hef and The King of Pop.
11. A 28-year-old Hugh Hefner, hard at work sitting at his desk in Chicago.
12. The Fresh Price meets Playboy.
