Victor Lownes

Everyone knows Hugh Hefner, but the man at Hefner's side for all those ground-breaking Playboy years was Victor Lownes, who passed away January 11, 2017. A Celebration of this extraordinary man's life was organized by The Mabel Mercer Foundation and Victor's wife Marilyn Cole Lownes. It was quite fitting, since Victor Lownes and Hugh Hefner bonded at the beginning of Playboy Magazine because of their love of the cabaret artist Mabel Mercer.