The Playboy legend Hugh Hefner died of natural causes at age 91, the magazine said on Wednesday night. He leaves behind a legacy — one that his youngest son, Cooper Hefner, plans to bring into the future.
At only 26 years old, Cooper is the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, the founder and former CEO of the upstart media company Hop, and a member of the California State Military Reserve.
He has also led a pretty wild life growing up in the Playboy Mansion — and his more than 75,000 followers on Instagram get an inside look.
It seems pretty likely he'll inherit at least some of his father's £40 million ($54 million) net worth.
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From flying the Playboy jet around the world to getting engaged to "Harry Potter" actress Scarlett Byrne, here's the life of Cooper Hefner, the new prince of Playboy.
This is 26-year-old Cooper Hefner, the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises and the youngest of the late Hugh Hefner's four children.
Hugh, who founded Playboy, died at the age of 91, the magazine said on Wednesday. Now Cooper has plans to bring the company into the future.
Cooper Hefner was born on September 4, 1991. His mother is Kimberly Conrad, a former "Playmate of the Year." She divorced Hugh in 2010 — the same year he announced his engagement to Crystal Harris, whom he stayed with until his death.
Cooper has an older brother, Marston, who was born in 1990. Both grew up in the Playboy Mansion.
"When my parents were together, it was very tame," he told the New York Post earlier this year. "The parties turned into black-tie events, I believe at my mom's request."
After Hugh and Kimberly separated in 1998 — though they did not formally divorce until 2010 — Hugh built a home for her next door, and Cooper and Marston lived between the two houses.
"When Dad was having more 'eventful' parties in the summer and on Halloween, security would go on babysitting watch to make sure my brother and I were kept in the house," he told the Post.
Cooper also has a half-sister, Christie Hefner, the 64-year-old former Playboy CEO, as well as a half-brother, David Hefner, 62. Both were children from Hugh's first marriage, to Millie Williams.
Cooper joined the Playboy company at age 21, though he left for a short time in 2016.
"I wanted to participate in constructing a relevant brand strategy, one that Playboy could introduce to my generation," he told Entertainment Tonight last year. "It became clear in the coming years that would never be possible under Playboy's leadership, so I protested."
During his absence, the magazine decided to stop publishing nude photos — and its number of subscribers dropped.
When Hugh stepped down from the business, Cooper stepped up, assuming his current role in July 2016. One of his first priorities was to reinstate nudity so that "what Dad built was authentic," he told the Post.
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He's also the founder and former CEO of the upstart media company Hop — an acronym for Hefner Operations and Productions.
Oh, and he's in the California State Military Reserve.
Cooper has had a pretty crazy life so far.
While he works hard, life in the office seems great.
Here's the menu for a morning meeting at the Mansion.
Here he's playing poker with some Bunnies at Playboy headquarters.
He seems fun-loving.
He's a big Lakers fan — and always seems to be at a game.
Then there are the cars — he drives some nice ones. Here he is on a "road trip to Vegas" ...
... and posing with a Porsche, which he appears to be partial to.
He often flies in the Playboy jet.
"Flying in a suit is a must for work," he wrote in this caption.
His work takes him all over the world. Here he is in Shanghai.
No matter where he is, the Playboy logo seems to follow.
Then there are the celebrities. Here he is with Paris Hilton ...
... Russell Brand ...
... Pamela Anderson ...
... and Kate Moss.
His fiancée, Scarlett Byrne, is pretty famous, too.
Byrne played Pansy Parkinson in the "Harry Potter" movies. Understandably, the couple are fans of the series. Here they are in London to see the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
The pair got engaged in 2015, and Byrne posted for Playboy's March/April 2017 issue. Cooper told the Post: "You're talking to somebody whose mom has been in the magazine. My interpretation of being comfortable with sex is different than most people's. I really don't think sex is weird, until people make it weird."
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It's this attitude he'll aim to bring to Playboy. "Most great films have a sequel," he said in this Instagram post. "The same can be said with great brands."
Most great films have a seq... @ cooperbhefner
In a company statement on Wednesday, he 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," he continued. "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."