Hugh Hefner’s grieving children raised a toast as they gathered in a California restaurant to remember their Playboy mogul father just hours after his death.
Hefner’s sons Cooper, 26, Marston, 27, and David, 62, joined their sister Christie, 64, for the memorial dinner at the Japanese restaurant Katsuya in Brentwood, California, last night.
It appeared that Hefner’s 31-year-old wife Crystal Harris was not invited to the meal.
In recent years, Cooper had taken responsibility for the running of Playboy magazine while his brother Marston, a writer, has shied away from involvement in the family business.
Hugh’s eldest son David has stayed completely out of the limelight throughout his life, the opposite of his sister Christie. She served as the chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises from 1988 to 2009 – and Cooper says he frequently consults her for business advice.
Hugh Hefner’s grieving children raised a toast as they gathered in a California restaurant to remember their Playboy mogul father just hours after his death
Hefner’s sons (left to right) David, 62, Cooper, 26, and Marston, 27, joined their sister Christie (second right), 64, for the memorial dinner at the Japanese restaurant Katsuya in Brentwood, California, last night
The sombre family gathering came just hours after the Playboy founder, the pipe-smoking hedonist who revved up the sexual revolution in the 1950s and built a multimedia empire of clubs, mansions, movies and television, symbolized by bow-tied women in bunny costumes, died at the age 91.
Hefner died of natural causes at his home surrounded by family on Wednesday night, Playboy said in a statement.
The family could be seen raising a glass in honor of their father, speaking to each other outside the restaurant and making their way into a white car after their meal.
Hefner’s body was driven away from his Playboy mansion early Thursday morning to begin the journey to his final resting place next to Marilyn Monroe.
Cooper took over as creative director for the company in recent years and hoped to translate the rebellious nature Playboy had in its early days to his younger generation.
It appeared that Hefner’s 31-year-old wife Crystal Harris was not invited to the meal
Playboy founder Hugh M. Hefner, the pipe-smoking hedonist who revved up the sexual revolution in the 1950s and built a multimedia empire of clubs, mansions, movies and television, symbolized by bow-tied women in bunny costumes, died on Wednesday at age 91
A true millennial, Cooper wanted to make the brand more accessible to his demographic of chronic Instagram and Twitter users. A frequent poster himself, his social media pages give a glimpse into the life of the prince of Playboy.
Hugh Hefner was always vocal about wanting both his sons to be involved in continuing his legacy with Playboy.
‘My dad was public about wanting us to run the organization together, but it became evident as we got older that it was not something that spoke to [Marston],’ Cooper said.
As Cooper grew older, the similarities to his father continued to develop. However, as the youngest of Hugh’s four children, Cooper felt compelled to carve out a niche of his own.
Hefner died of natural causes at his home surrounded by family on Wednesday night, Playboy said in a statement
As much as anyone, Hefner helped slip sex out of the confines of plain brown wrappers and into mainstream conversation
Like his father, Cooper he decided to enlist in the military. In January 2017 he joined the California State Military Reserve. Hugh was an infantry clerk in the army in the 1940s, and spent his free time doodling cartoons for the military newspapers – which peaked his interest in journalism.
In a statement about Hugh’s passing, Cooper said: ‘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 defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history.
In recent years Hefner (right) had passed the day-today running of the magazine to his youngest son Cooper (left)
Cooper Hefner earlier opened up about the difficulties of watching hs father suffer poor physical health. Older brother Marston (left) and Cooper spent Father’s Day in June with their father
His eldest son has stayed completely out of the limelight throughout his life, the opposite of his sister Christie (pictured), who is now 64. She served as the chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises from 1988 to 2009 – and Cooper says he frequently consults her for business advice
‘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.’
It was yesterday reported that Hefner’s wife Crystal Harris will inherit nothing due to an ironclad prenup that means she was never added to his will.
The couple, who shared a 60 year age gap, tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in 2012 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Before the nuptials, Harris was said to have signed an ‘ironclad’ prenuptial agreement.
A source told US Weekly that while the blonde beauty will be taken care of, she won’t receive a penny of his fortune.
Instead, his estimated $43million estate, will be divided between his four children, the University of Southern California and a list of charities.
That number doesn’t take into account the Playboy Mansion which was sold in 2016 for $100million.
In a statement about Hugh’s passing, Cooper said: ‘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’
It was yesterday reported that Hefner’s wife Crystal Harris will inherit nothing due to an ironclad prenup that means she was never added to his will
The $43million figure was first revealed back in 2009 when Hefner divorced his second wife Kimberly Conrad.
At his peak, the Playboy magnate was worth upwards of $200million, but as the magazine’s popularity tanked, Hefner lost millions.
By the time of his death the 91-year-old held 35 percent of the Playboy brand and still completely owned the magazine.
He had $36million worth of stocks and bonds and $6million in a joint account with an unnamed person.
His monthly earnings from the magazine only totaled $100,000, with the rest coming from his pension.