Now He Belongs to the Ages: Hugh Hefner Shuffles Off This Mortal Coil at 91

Oftentimes when a person dies, others will say, "He's in a better place now." In most cases, I'm inclined to believe this, but there's no way it applies to Hugh Hefner. It doesn't matter what version of heaven you believe in, there's realistically nowhere he could be headed today that's better than the deal he had here on earth. Nevertheless, the man known as Hef left us yesterday at the age of 91.

Playboy Enterprises released a statement yesterday which stated that Hefner died on Wednesday at the Playboy Mansion near Beverly Hills, California, where he has lived since leaving Chicago in the mid-70s. The statement released by the company Hefner founded does a better job of eulogizing him and his many accomplishments than I ever could, I suggest you read the entire thing by clicking here.

The only bit I'll add to all of this is that, as the New York Times reported, Hefner will be buried in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, where "he bought the mausoleum drawer next to Marilyn Monroe." How fitting it is that he and Monroe, who effectively launched their careers simultaneously, should spend eternity side by side. There's no replacing Hef. None of the men who copied his formula, from Bob Guccione to Larry Flynt, will appear in the history books as anything but pale imitators. There won't be another Hef, and the world is a lesser place today because of that fact.