Hugh Hefner, iconic founder of 'Playboy', dies at age 91

Hugh Hefner, founder of the international adult magazine 'Playboy', has died at the age of 91.

Playboy Enterprises Inc on Wednesday said he passed away peacefully at home, from natural causes, reports BBC.

Mr Hefner began publishing Playboy in his kitchen at home in 1953. It became the largest-selling men's magazine in the world, shifting seven million copies a month at its peak.

Cooper Hefner, his son, said he would be "greatly missed by many".

He paid tribute to his father's "exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer," and called him an advocate for free speech, civil rights, and sexual freedom.

Mr Hefner's magazine later spawned a business empire that included casinos and nightclubs. He became famous for a hedonistic lifestyle, often appearing in silk pyjamas.

The mogul dated and married 'Playboy' models, and in his later years threw huge parties in his luxurious mansions.