The magazine released a statement saying Hefner died at his home, the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, of natural causes on Wednesday night surrounded by family.

Founding the magazine in 1953, Hefner built a brand that defined the sexual culture of the second half of the 20th century.

Playboy’s buxom models were the objects of millions of men’s fantasies as Hefner challenged what he derided as America’s “puritanical” attitudes toward sex.

For decades, he was the pipe-smoking, silk-pyjama-wearing centre of a constant fantasy party at Playboy mansions in Chicago and then in Los Angeles.

He also starred in the E! reality TV series The Girls Next Door.

Hefner is survived by his wife, Crystal, and four grown children: Christie, who served as CEO of Playboy Enterprise for more than 20 years, David, Marston and Cooper, who serves as chief creative officer at the company.

“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,” Cooper Hefner said in a statement.

“He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognisable and enduring in history. He will be greatly missed by many.”

-AP