Playboy Magazine Has Been Axed After 66 Years

Playboy magazine has been axed after being in print for 66 years. The Spring edition of the famous magazine - which will hit shops this week - will be the final one that's printed.

"And sometimes you have to let go of the past to make room for the future. So we're turning our attention to achieving our mission in the most effective and impactful way we can: to help create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure.

"We look forward to continuing to work together with all of you to keep our business strong and growing."

He went on: "Playboy is many things to many people. A magazine to many, a lifestyle to many more, an apparel brand, a membership club and even, according to some, 'a corruptor of our youth'.

"But throughout the past sixty-six years, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to free expression and breaking taboos, leaning into discomfort, helping audiences express and understand their sexuality, and advocating for the pursuit of pleasure for all."

Up to 2017, the magazine was still printed on a monthly basis but it was then scaled back to being published quarterly and didn't feature any advertisements.

The popular mag first hit shelves in 1953 with an edition featuring nude pictures of Marilyn Monroe - although the actor never actually posted for Playboy.

It seems that Hefner continued to hold Monroe in high regard - years after her death, in August 1962, he reserved the plot at the Westwood Memorial Park in LA next to her for $75,000 (£56,000).

Hefner died of natural causes aged 91 - back in 2017 - with a statement from Playboy Enterprises, stating: "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. He was 91 years old."