'Playboy' Founder Hugh Hefner, Champion Of Free Speech And 'Smut', Dies At 91
Hefner's magazine was blamed for (or credited with) setting off a cultural revolution in America, but within a few years he was branded a male chauvinist.
by Scott Simon
Sep 27, 2017
4 minutes
Hugh Hefner created Playboy at his kitchen table in Chicago. The magazine was blamed for (or credited with) setting off a cultural revolution in America, but within a few years Hefner was branded a male chauvinist. He was a proponent of free speech and a champion of civil rights who was decried as a merchant of smut.
Hefner died Wednesday at the age of 91, the magazine announced in a statement, writing that he "peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones."
"My father lived an exceptional and impactful life
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