Hugh Hefner, the founder of the iconic Playboy magazine, has died aged 91.

The news was announced in a statement on Thursday by the Playboy Enterprises.

Hefner, who founded the men’s lifestyle magazine in 1953, died at his home, the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

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,” his son, Cooper Hefner, the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, said in the statement.

The magazine, famous for its sexually explicit content, is rumoured to have been started by Hugh with $600 and another $1,000 borrowed from his mother. Though, it is believed he employed $8,000 sourced from investors.

The Playboy magazine, however, was not just about nudity as it also featured articles, interviews and fiction by notable authors of the day.

It counts among its contributors such icons as Marilyn Monroe – the first centrefold model-, Ian Fleming, Margaret Atwood and Joseph Heller.

It went from strength to strength, enjoying peak circulation while riding the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s.

Hefner was survived by his wife, Crystal, his sons, Cooper, David and Marston, and his daughter, Christie.