Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has died, Playboy said Wednesday night.
The magazine released a statement saying he died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home, the Playboy Mansion.
"Hef" as he was known, founded the men's magazine in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the first centerfold.
The first issue sold more than 50,000 copies, enough for him to finance another issue.
By the end of the decade, the magazine was selling more than one million copies a month.
In the 60s, he hosted a syndicated TV show called "Playboy After Dark."
His empire grew to include night clubs, resorts, casinos, and a TV station.
Hugh Hefner was 91 years old.