Liza Kei was Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for August 2017, the last monthly selection listed before Hugh Hefner died in September. A 2021 profile reports that Kei was hurt by online accusations linking her to his death, but it does not establish that she was shocked when he died.
Who was the last Playmate of the Month before Hefner died?
It was Liza Kei, whose August 2017 appearance is listed in the magazine’s annual Playmate roster. That makes her the last Playmate of the Month before Hefner’s death by calendar sequence—not the final Playmate of 2017. The roster lists Jessica Wall for September, followed by other monthly selections later in the year. The roster also notes Kei had appeared on a Playboy cover in March 2013.
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What did Liza Kei say about Hefner’s death?
An October 7, 2021 Essex Magazine profile reports Kei’s account of online rumors and abuse after her Playboy appearance. The profile quotes her saying that people accused her of having slept with Hefner to get on the cover, and that she received messages accusing her of causing his death. Kei called those messages painful and said she had no regrets about appearing in Playboy.
Those are remarks attributed to Kei by the profile; it does not link to the original posts or provide an independently documented interview transcript. The available account supports saying she was hurt by the accusations. It does not show that she was shocked at the moment Hefner died, nor does it independently establish the extent of the alleged abuse.
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When did Hefner die, and how does the timing fit?
Hugh Hefner died in September 2017, aged 91. NPR reported that Playboy announced he died of natural causes at home. Kei’s August selection therefore preceded his death by one month; the September roster selection and subsequent monthly selections mean she should not be described as the final Playmate of 2017.
Was Kei the last Playmate Hefner personally chose?
That is a different claim, and the chronology alone cannot establish it. The roster identifies Kei’s month but does not say Hefner selected her personally. A reference list notes that he had stepped down from the company in late 2016, so calling Kei his personal choice would go beyond the evidence cited here.
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What did Hefner mean by “Playmate of the Month”?
In a 2007 interview excerpt reproduced by NPR, Hefner described the centerfold as drawing on pinup photography and art from World War II and earlier: “The playmate of the month, the centerfold, came directly out of the influences of pinup photography and art from World War II and before.” The excerpt appears in NPR’s 2017 report on Hefner.
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