Hugh Hefner Had Deadly Secret Drug Addiction, Crystal Claims In Tell-All!

At the end of his life, Hugh Hefner had an “earthquake supply” of prescription painkillers at the Playboy Mansion, per his ex!

The problem was so bad, and the opiates were around in such high numbers, that the late Playboy mogul’s widow Crystal Hefner worried he’d die of a drug overdose. Of course, Hefner died back in 2017 at the age of 91 after suffering from sepsis brought on by an infection. But for his wife, an opioid-related death seemed like a real possibility for a long time.

The 37-year-old former Playboy Playmate is recounting all that now in her forthcoming autobiography. The memoir, entitled Only Say Good Things, is due for release next Tuesday. But according to The US Sun, who got their hands on a copy of her book nearly a week early, Crystal harbored serious drug addiction concerns regarding her late husband.

Hef first got hooked on painkillers “legitimately,” as Crystal writes in the book. He had been having serious back pain and was seeking salvation. Initially meaning well, doctors prescribed him opioids to treat the pain. But soon, the problem spiraled completely out of control. For one, Crystal accuses unscrupulous docs of blanket-approving monthly refills of Percocet pills long after the initial prescription expired. Even worse, the woman — who became Hef’s third wife when they wed in 2012 despite a shocking 60-year age gap — alleges docs happily provided Hef with a backup stash of extra pills in case he ever ran low.

Obviously, opioid deaths have regrettably swept across the nation. We’d just never heard of the late magazine mogul being linked to the epidemic — Crystal’s claim is the first of its kind about Hef. NOBODY knew he was taking so many opioids for so long — despite his wife and his staff all worried he could OD!

Crystal writes about that acute fear in the book. Even though his addiction was known to Playboy Mansion staffers, “no one ever talked about it” outside that small circle, and thus, the public was left in the dark. Crystal herself didn’t even know how bad the problem was until she saw Hef beginning to nod off during game nights and movie marathons at the mansion. She did some snooping, and discovered he’d allegedly been diving into his “earthquake supply” of pills to keep chasing a bigger high.

Reflecting on Hef’s opioid struggles, Crystal wrote:

“With so many celebrities dying of overdoses from doctors who gave them endless supplies, people around him got more careful, and the opiates had to be given to him like he used to give us allowance — in controlled doses.”

Wow…

In addition to opiates, Crystal also reported in her book that Hef was hooked on the amphetamine Dexedrine during Playboy‘s golden age in the 1970s. That has been known for a while, with Variety reporting in-depth on Hugh chasing amphetamine highs as early as 1992. His other vices include smoking from a pipe — which Crystal noted he gave up after suffering a stroke in his later years — as well as regular marijuana use and habitual Viagra use. Yeah, we all knew about those, too!

Of course, all this follows A&E‘s 2022 docuseries Secrets Of Playboy, in which former mansion staffers and Playboy insiders recounted memories of hard drugs including Quaaludes and cocaine ever-present at the mansion.

Still, the opioid stuff is new and, frankly, unexpected. We guess we’ll have to wait until next Tuesday to see what else Crystal reveals in Only Say Good Things when it hits shelves in bookstores nationwide…

If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.

[Image via Mike Stotts/FayesVision/WENN]