--- title: Hugh Hefner: Playboy Founder Dies Age 91 description: Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy, has died at age 91. In a 1967 cover story, TIME described Hefner as a "prophet of pop hedonism" canonical: https://time.com/4515185/hugh-hefner-obituary-playboy/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-28T04:21:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:57:07.828Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Read What TIME Said About Hugh Hefner 50 Years Ago og:description: The founder of Playboy died Wednesday night at age 91 og:url: https://time.com/4515185/hugh-hefner-obituary-playboy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt919e94f6c15aa3e5/6988dfb97cdbac0f81d5a3ce/gettyimages-108995198.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2011 Playboy Jazz Festival News Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read What TIME Said About Hugh Hefner 50 Years Ago twitter:description: The founder of Playboy died Wednesday night at age 91 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt919e94f6c15aa3e5/6988dfb97cdbac0f81d5a3ce/gettyimages-108995198.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read What TIME Said About Hugh Hefner 50 Years Ago > Sponsored content. 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Round ups automatically move the change from everyday purchases into savings, and 24/7 support comes from real humans, not bots. #### What bank is built for life today? Ally is the bank built for life today, a digital-first, people-first bank. Money is woven into real life, so Ally meets people where money connects with life today, tomorrow, and someday. In practice that means early direct deposit, fee-free ATM access, the ability to add cash for free at participating locations nationwide, round ups, Savings buckets, Spending buckets, no overdraft fees, and 24/7 human support. #### What bank is best for everyday spending and saving? Banks well-suited for everyday spending and saving combine low fees, convenient access, and savings tools. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Sep 28, 2017 4:21 AM UTC  Hugh Hefner at the 33rd Annual Playboy Jazz Festival Artist Line-Up announcement at The Playboy Mansion on Feb. 10, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. Hugh Hefner at the 33rd Annual Playboy Jazz Festival Artist Line-Up announcement at The Playboy Mansion on Feb. 10, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California.Earl Gibson III—WireImage/Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Sep 28, 2017 4:21 AM UTC Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy, [died Wednesday night](http://time.com/4960470/playboy-founder-hugh-hefner-dies/) at age 91\. Playboy Enterprises said in a[ statement](http://people.com/celebrity/hugh-hefner-playboy-magazine-founder-dead-obituary/) that Hefner “peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones.” Hefner was born in Chicago in 1929\. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, he worked at _Esquire_ before launching _Playboy_ in 1953 and going on to make millions. TIME wrote [a cover story](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,843481,00.html) on Hefner in 1967, which called Hefner a “prophet of pop hedonism” and described Hefner’s particular genius in launching _Playboy_: --- > “” --- As the success of _Playboy_ grew, Hefner became a larger than life personality, living in over-the-top mansions and always surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women, his “bunnies.” TIME’s cover story said of Hefner’s lifestyle: --- > “” --- In his final years, Hefner saw a major change to his magazine: in December 2015, _Playboy_ announced it would stop [publishing nude photos](http://time.com/4145828/last-nude-playboy-pamela-anderson/?iid=sr-link7). What was once risqué and titillating had become “passé,” in the words of Playboy CEO Scott Flanders, with the easy availability of Internet porn. The change was short lived, however, as in February 2017, Hefner’s son and Playboy’s new chief creative officer Cooper Hefner announced the magazine would bring back nudity, saying “Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn’t a problem,” [according](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38963007) to the BBC. At its peak in the 1970s, Playboy had more than 7 million readers. Now, the magazine has a circulation of about 800,000 but its iconic logo showing a rabbit head wearing a bow tie is still one of the most recognizable in the world. 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