The Amazing Journey Of Hugh Hefner

CLEVELAND - I will forever admire and respect the great Hugh M. Hefner for all that he's accomplished, the man that he is today and his relentless pursuit of living life on his own terms. That makes today something of a holiday to me, or at least an opportunity to celebrate the man.

It's his birthday.

That's right. Today is Hefner's 84th birthday and will without a doubt be celebrated to the fullest extent by the man himself. In fact, Hefner never waits for the actual day to begin the festivities. He and his travelling coterie of nubile young women usually party hardy days in advance at locales other than his iconic Playboy Mansion. What's so great about Hefner is that he continues to possess the same zest for life that he had 30 or 40 years ago, maybe even more so. His seminal publication, Playboy Magazine is not only what brought him to the public's attention in the early 1950's. It's also what made him a role model in the quest for open-mindedness and liberation. It was Hefner that stared down the barrel of numerous legal battles throughout the 1960's and '70's, all in favor of keeping his vision in the public's eye.

What's always endeared Hefner to me is his commitment to being happy and living life on his terms regardless of who complains. After all, it's his life and no one else's so if he wants to be an insatiable hedonist at 30, why shouldn't he be one at 80? It's not that Hefner doesn't understand the "laws of conformity," it's that he doesn't care about them.

From one controversial star to another, I send my truly heartfelt birthday wishes to one of my all-time heroes. Happy Birthday, Mr. Hefner. You will forever be the greatest male in Earth's history!