Hugh Hefner may have been in his ninth decade, nonetheless, his death was a shock. There are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding his death, particularly who will inherit his fortune. The details surrounding the will are unclear except for his 31-year-old wife. It appears she won’t be getting a penny but it’s not as bad as it appears.
Hefner was 91 years old when he died. It was reported he died from natural causes, but it was later revealed his death was contributed to complicating and “serious back issues.” He began experiencing back pain as early as two years ago. In fact, Hefner developed an infection that debilitated him to the point he became bedridden for days. Hefner was able to get better but the damage to his overall health had been done.
Hugh Hefner loved living a lavish lifestyle but this did not negate his humanitarian work. Hefner made financial contributions to various charities during his long life. A portion of his fortune will be going to important charities he championed. This may seem unusual considering his wife will not receive a cent from him. The reason behind Hefner’s decision might lie on the fact that this was not the couple’s first attempt at getting married.
Hefner’s beginnings were nothing in comparison to the huge adult entertainment empire he built. He was born in 1926 in Chicago where he was raised as a “conservative, Midwestern, (and) Methodist.” Hefner’s true love was writing and it was this medium that made him the successful man we have come to recognize. Hefner earned a psychology degree with a minor in creative writing. The young man had ambition back then but the world was not ready for what Hefner wanted to accomplish.
There may be a simple explanation as to why Hugh Hefner always appeared calm and collected. When he was 18 years old in 1944, the young man joined the United States Army which in turn had been part of World War II. Hefner was not fighting on the front lines but rather writing stories for the military newspaper. After returning from the war, the future magnate got down to business right away working in his adult magazine. This was the result of being denied a $5.00 raise.
After returning home from World War II, Hefner landed a job as a copywriter for Esquire magazine. He dreamed of launching his own magazine but was not willing to take such a huge risk. Hefner, however, changed his mind after he was denied a $5.00 raise by Esquire, prompting him to quit his job. Despite his high ambition, Hefner did not have the financial capital to start the magazine. That’s when he turned to an unusual donor to fund the first issue of Playboy magazine; his mother.
Grace Hefner was both religious and conservative, hence, she did not seemed to be the ideal candidate to invest in an adult magazine. Still, she put in $1,000 to publish the first edition of Playboy “not because she believed in the venture,” Hefner once said. ” But because she believed in her son. With his mother’s $1,000 investment in addition to another $7,600 from other investors, the first edition of Playboy magazine was published. It was a up and coming star who graced the first cover.
Playboy magazine’s first issue was published December 1953, making it an immediate success. Hefner was terrified his business venture would be a total failure, but he was proven wrong when over 50,000 copies were sold in just a few weeks. Contributing to the magazine’s success was the model on the cover; bombshell Marilyn Monroe. The actual photos of Monroe were taken in 1949 but she allowed Hefner to use them. This was the beginning of a prosperous career and womanizer. Although, Hefner was married at the time of his death.
Hefner had already gone through two failed marriages when he tied the knot on December 31, 2012 with Crystal. When they announced their marriage, they were welcomed with a lot of criticism and mockery. The obvious matter was the age difference between the newlyweds. The former Playboy playmate was only 26 years old when she married Hefner who was 86 at the time. He was 60 years older than his bride. Crystal was labelled a gold digger, particularly because her husband was extremely wealthy.
It is estimated that when Hugh Hefner passed away he left behind $43 million fortune. The massive amount, according to his will, is to be divided among different charities and his four adult children; Christie, David, Marston, and Cooper. What is most shocking is Hefner not leaving anything for his wife Crystal. He was able to get past strict marriage and inheritance laws by skirting around them. Hefner ensured Crystal was not a gold digger by making her sign papers.
Hefner may have followed rapper Kanye West’s advice from the hit single, “Gold Digger.” Before marrying Crystal, the mogul wanted to ensure he would keep his wealth after his death by making his bride sign a prenuptial agreement. The media was quick to accuse Hefner of being cold and cruel towards his “empty-headed” widow. Except, Crystal was well aware of the documents she signed. The question still stands, why did Hefner want to leave his wife out of the will?
It is assumed Hefner wanted to give as much wealth as possible to his children. Despite being grown adults, his kids were very close to the Playboy mogul up until the day he died. Hence, it seemed natural to assume Hefner wanted his children to be taken care of. Still, the couple appeared to be very close and in love so why exclude her from the inheritance? The answer to the prenup may lie on the huge age difference.
It was only natural to speculate Hefner was protecting himself from a gold digger. He was 60 years older than Crystal after all and many assumed she was after his fortune. In 2012, the couple was interviewed after tying the knot. “The dramatic age difference between Crystal and me really doesn’t matter,” Hefner posted on Twitter. “Whatever time I have left, we want to spend together.” Still, Hugh Hefner wanted to be buried next to the most famous blond bombshell in the world.
Hefner’s love for blondes just got a little more weird. In 1992, the businessman purchased his grave plot for a mere $72,000. Hefner still had another 20+ years ahead but he wanted to make sure he was going to be eternally close to none other than Marilyn Monroe. Since Monroe was the first cover model for Playboy, it was fitting to lie next to her. It begs the question again, he had $72,000 to spend on his burial plot but left nothing for his other blonde and wife, Crystal?
The two may have gotten married in 2012 but they were actually scheduled to tie the knot a year earlier. Just five days before the wedding Crystal got cold feet. Hefner was naturally disappointed but he waited for his beloved until they finally made it official. “This time around is amazing,” Crystal said shortly after the wedding. “I’m very happy and Hef’s very happy, and we’re very excited.” Despite their proclamation of love, his widow didn’t receive anything from her hubby. Still, she doesn’t need anyone’s pity.
Crystal admits she is not worried about being left out of Hefner’s fortune. She claims her husband told her before his passing that will be “looked after.” What that means exactly is not clear and Crystal won’t divulge much further than that. It’s unclear if Hefner had a hidden bank account or if his kids who are also older than their stepmom will chip in to care for her. This is clearly not the end of this story as more information is bound to unfold in the coming months or years.