Hefner said he wanted to be remembered for ‘positive impact’ on ‘social sexual values’

— -- Playboy founder Hugh Hefner died at the age of 91 on Wednesday, his company announced overnight.

The official release from Playboy Enterprises stated that Hefner "peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones."

Hefner leaves behind a groundbreaking and often controversial legacy, but the icon always kept it simple on how he wanted to be remembered when he was gone.

Hugh Hefner through the years

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American publisher Hugh Hefner is seen in this 1955 portrait sitting in front of a wall collage of female centerfolds from his men's magazine 'Playboy' which he launched in 1953.

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For the media mogul, it wasn't about being remembered for the people his magazine interviewed, such as Malcolm X or Bette Davis, or the stars he helped rise to fame, like Marilyn Monroe. Instead, he said he wanted to be remembered as someone who created social change.

During an appearance on "Larry King Live" in 2005, he told King: "I like to be remembered as somebody who had some positive impact on the social sexual values of his time."

He expressed the same wish in interviews with USA Today, CNN and other outlets.

Hefner's career was a stark departure from his family's background. His father was a descendant of English Puritan settlers, and Hefner said that his family never swore, drank, danced or even hugged.

"The lack of warmth and affection in our home had a tremendous impact on both of us," Hefner told Esquire in 2013 of how he and his brother, Keith, grew up. "There was no hugging and kissing. Our mother and father were religious and strong and good puritans."

Hefner largely saw his legacy as changing those norms.

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