Hugh Hefner went deaf from too much Viagra, but said he'd rather have sex than have his hearing.
He was known for his indefatigable sexual appetite.
Christopher Hooton @christophhooton Thursday 28 September 2017 07:51 BST.
The Independent Culture.
Popular videos.
Mother of bullied boy says photos with Confederate flag were ‘ironic’
Alabama picks between man who jailed KKK and accused child abuser.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoiler-free review – A feast of a follow-up.
The bizarre life story of the US soldier who defected to North Korea.
Hugh Hefner, who died yesterday aged 91, was notorious for popping Viagra like Skittles in order to maintain his very active sex life.
The pills, which have been linked in studies to sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), apparently left him almost completely deaf, however, with former twin lovers Karissa and Kristina Shannon telling The Sun last year that he had hearing aids and was completely deaf in one ear.
“You have to lean down and talk into his good ear for him to understand you,” Karissa said.
“We could sit right next to him and he wouldn’t have a clue what we said.”
But it seems this didn’t give Hefner pause or leave him with any regret, with Karissa adding: “He said he would rather have sex than have his hearing.”
Addressing a 2011 report on links between hearing loss and Viagra, the NHS writes: “SSHL is a rare, emergency condition caused by damage to the inner ear structures, which can lead to permanent hearing loss. The study found 47 cases of hearing loss associated with taking this class of drug. Two-thirds of these cases occurred within 24 hours of taking the drug.”
From Puritan family to Playboy Mansion: Hugh Hefner obituary.
Playboy Enterprises announced Wednesday that Hefner had died in the Playboy Mansion from natural causes.
Playboy Magazine was founded by Hefner more than 60 years ago as an upscale men’s magazine, combining images of nude women with in-depth articles, literature and interviews.
“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,” Playboy confirmed in a statement. “He was 91 years old.”
Most iconic Playboy covers.
Most iconic Playboy covers.
1/10 December 1953.
The very first Playboy magazine front cover with Marilyn Monroe.
2/10 July 1958.
The bright yellow Playboy cover in summer of 1958 featured popular nude model Agnes Laurent.
3/10 August 1962.
The shot of a woman posing on a beach in a bikini celebrated the first ever cover featuring bikini swimsuit.
4/10 May 1964.
This cover featured Playmate of the year Donna Michelle who used her legs to recreate Playboy’s famous rabbit logo.
5/10 August 1968.
The cover of August 1968 edition featured Playmate Gale Olson with the famous Bunny logo covering her body.
6/10 October 1971.
Darine Stern was the first black Playmate to feature on the cover of the magazine.
7/10 January 1985.
The New Year cover in 1985 featured Goldie Hawn who was promoting her latest film Protocol.
8/10 July 1990.
Sharon Stone was featured in the issue to promote her starring role in the upcoming movie Total Recall.
9/10 December 2007.
Kim Kardashian appeared on the cover of the issue to promote the first season of the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
10/10 January 2014.
The eagerly anticipated shot with Kate Moss in the famous bunny outfit celebrated the magazine’s 60th anniversary.
Hugh Marston Hefner was born on 9 April , 1926, to strict Methodist parents. The eldest of two brothers, he served two years in the Army during World War II before finding a job at Esquire as a copywriter.
By 1953 he had saved $8,000 – enough to put the first issue of Playboy together. It hit newsstands in December that year and included an old nude photo of Marilyn Monroe, which Hefner had purchased to add some “oomph” to the centrefold. The issue sold more than 50,000 copies.
Though best known for its erotic photography, Playboy magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by novelists including Vladimir Nabokov, Chuck Palahniuk, Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood. Hunter S. Thompson was among its journalists.
Most Popular.
Sponsored Features.
We use cookies to enhance your visit to our site and to bring you advertisements that might interest you. Read our Privacy and Cookie Policies to find out more.
We’ve noticed that you are using an ad blocker.
Advertising helps fund our journalism and keep it truly independent. It helps to build our international editorial team, from war correspondents to investigative reporters, commentators to critics.
Click here to view instructions on how to disable your ad blocker, and help us to keep providing you with free-thinking journalism – for free.
Hugh Hefner went deaf from too much Viagra, but said he d rather have sex than have his hearing, The Independent
