Playboy founder Hugh Hefner will be buried next to Marilyn Monroe. The legendary magazine publisher died at age 91 on Wednesday, September 27.
Hef will be laid to rest at Westwood Village Memorial Park in L.A. Monroe, who died at age 36 in 1962, appeared in the first issue of Playboy in December 1953.
Other late stars who are buried at the cemetery include Natalie Wood, Farrah Fawcett and Truman Capote.
Hefner’s 26-year-old son, Cooper, released a statement about his passing on Wednesday. “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,” he 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.”
Since then, Kendra Wilkinson, Carmen Electra and more have paid tribute. “Hef changed my life,” Wilkinson, 32, told Us Weekly in a statement. “He made me the person I am today. I couldn’t be more thankful for our friendship and our time together. I will miss him so much but he will be in my heart forever.”
Electra, 45, tweeted: “R.I.P. Hugh Hefner. The American Icon who in 1953 introduced the world 2 Playboy mag and built the company into one of the most recognizable American Global brands in history, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to shoot many Playboy celebrity pictorials with u Hef.”
Hef founded Playboy in Chicago in 1953. He is survived by his wife, Crystal Harris, and four children.
