Weird Rumors And Details Surrounding The Cause Of Hugh Hefner's Death And Why His Wife Crystal Harris Wasn't At His Deathbed
Why wasn't Crystal Harris at her husband's deathbed?
Getty Images In 2017, we said goodbye to the king of Playboy and all his surrounding legacies. At 91, his death though sad was not tragic and representatives of the millionaire blamed "natural causes" for his passing.
But details and rumors about how Hugh Hefner died make it seem like there's a little more to the story.
Allegedly, Hefner's health was in much more declined then he, his reps and his family led on. Since his late 80s, Hefner has dealt with back issues that developed into more serious — but still mysterious — conditions two years ago.
So serious in fact, that he allegedly could hardly walk without some help and was soon bedridden.
His condition made it pretty much impossible for him to make any kind of public appearance. His last one was to announce Eugena Washington as Playmate of the Year in May of 2016.
His health got much worse just a few weeks ago when sources say he caught a bug that weakened his immune system so much that he could no longer fight. The actual illness isn't known, but it was a mild one.
Though Hefner was surrounded by his sons, his daughter, and his second wife when he died, his current wife, Crystal Harris was not present.
Even weirder, all her social media channels were set to private and she hasn't made a public statement.
Harris wasn't even present at a memorial dinner held a day after Hefner's death. She also will reportedly not be included in his will.
When the couple wed in 2012 — she was 26 and he was 86 — Harris signed an "ironclad" prenup that left her out of his $43 million fortune that was promised to his children, the University of Southern California film school and multiple charities.
And when they were first engaged, Harris reportedly had cold feet and called off the wedding. Though she claimed she wasn't "at peace with herself" at the time, Hefner said the problems in their relationship began when the lawyers got involved and started talking prenup.
Harris even moved out of the Playboy mansion for a brief time and gave a very telling interview with Howard Stern as to why.
"I'm not turned on by Hef, sorry," she laughed. She also claimed sex with Hefner only lasted "like about two seconds," and that they were only intimate once during their two and half year relationship.
Hefner accused Harris of lying in the interview, and she apologized. But even after all that drama — and Harris auctioning off her engagement ring — the couple found their way back to one another and got married.
Though Harris is left out of Hefner's will, the prenup does provide for her if he dies, but it's not clear at what capacity.
For the four and a half years they were married, both faced health challenges including Harris' battle with Lyme disease.
Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions as to why she wasn't there when her husband passed and why she has yet to release a statement about his death. For now, all we have to go on is her thoughts from previous interviews.
"He believes in love," Harris told Esquire in 2013. "Hef loves me more than anybody else in a relationship ever has. It took me time away to realize that. I think I realized that here is where I'm meant to be."