Former and current employees at the late Playboy magazine founder’s home in Los Angeles, California – where he passed away from natural causes aged 91 on Wednesday (27.09.17) – are arranging a get-together to pay tribute to the late businessman.
Playboy Mansion sources told gossip website TMZ that two of the venue’s butlers have created a Facebook group to make the event happen.
Hugh’s children, Christie, 64, David, 62, Marston, 27, and Cooper, 26, are said to have been invited to the bash along with Playboy Playmates and staff members.
Many of the employees are said to have featured on reality TV show ‘The Girls Next Door’, which ran for six series from 2005 to 2010 and focused on the lives of Hugh’s girlfriends who lived with him at the Mansion.
The staff members are said to be keen to pay their respects to him and treat each other like family, despite some being let go a few years ago.
The event is not expected to take place at the Playboy Mansion and is separate to another final tribute party thought to be being planned to take place at the famous abode.
Hugh’s death was confirmed on Thursday (28.09.17).
A rep for the Playboy Enterprises founder said in a statement: “Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who in 1953 introduced the world to Playboy magazine and built the company into one of the most recognisable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones.”
Cooper added in a statement: “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 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.”
Hugh leaves behind his third wife, Crystal Harris, a former Playboy Playmate who he married in 2012.