Dorothy Stratten — Playmate Haunted Hef To His Grave

Hugh Hefner died in his rotting Playboy Mansion haunted by his biggest failure — with his empire never recovering from the brutal murder of 1979 Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten!

"Dorothy was supposed to be Hef's own Marilyn Monroe," said a veteran Playboy insider. But in a tragic twist, Dorothy only found immortality in her own tragic early death — after her estranged husband Paul Snider put a shotgun to her cheek and pulled the trigger on August 14, 1980.

Snider had "discovered" Dorothy in 1978 while she was working part-time at a Dairy Queen in Vancouver, B.C. The hustler romanced Dorothy and sent her photos to Playboy — where her undeniable beauty soon had her chosen as a centerfold, and going on to become Playmate of the Year. But Hef's own ambitions soon had Dorothy's fragile husband seething!

"Hef was worried about Playboy moving into the '80s," said the insider, "and he wanted to create his own icon while he got ready to start up the Playboy Channel. He was so excited about Dorothy that he kept it a secret when she got married Snider — and wouldn't even say if he slept with her!"

Dorothy took on a slew of small acting roles, just like Marilyn started out in Hollywood. She was booked on "Fantasy Island" and "Buck Rogers" while filming a kinky erotic drama called "Autumn Born." Dorothy was starring in a sci-fi cheapie called "Galaxina" when Hef introduced her to "Paper Moon" director Peter Bogdanovich — unknowingly sealing her fate!

"Hef thought 'They All Laughed' would do for Dorothy what 'All About Eve' did for Marilyn," said the insider. "She was working with stars like Audrey Hepburn and John Ritter. Peter and Dorothy had even started an affair, just like when Cybil Shepherd worked with Peter. But Snider snapped when he figured out that she was cheating on him!"

Dorothy began divorce proceedings — and on the last day of her life, she agreed to meet Snider at their old Hollywood apartment. She had withdrawn $ 1,000 from the bank, intending to give him the cash to settle their split. At about 11 p. m., a private eye hired by Snider to spy on Dorothy called cops after he couldn't reach his client — and they found a gruesome scene at Snider's home.

The doomed 20-year-old was lying naked across the foot of a waterbed. Her head was near a homemade bondage rack that Snider had built. Black ants crawled over her corpse. Dorothy's blood stained the walls and curtains. Snider had also turned the shotgun on himself — blowing his brains out, with one hand still clutching strands of Dorothy's hair.

Hefner couldn't even stop to mourn Dorothy when he learned of her death. Instead, Playboy staffers were scrambling to stop the presses on the October 1980 issue of Playboy that featured their now-dead Playmate. It was too late — although Dorothy was quickly removed from the 1981 Playmate Calendar.

The publishing magnate never forgave himself for not protecting Dorothy more — even admitting that he had been reluctant to once warn Dorothy about Snider having "a pimp-like quality." The murder cast a pall over "They All Laughed," which was barely released to theaters. And then things got even uglier!

Hefner went public with charges that Bogdanovich had seduced Dorothy's 13-year-old sister, Louise, after Dorothy's death. Bogdanovich wrote a book saying that Hefner sexually harassed Dorothy and was responsible for her "pornographic murder" — with Hef saying the director's accusations had caused the Playboy icon to suffer a stroke in 1985!

Bogdanovich would go on to marry Louise in 1988, and the couple divorced in 2001. "After that," said the insider, "Hef didn't care about getting respect from Hollywood. He'd let the stars come over and enjoy their wild parties at the mansion — but he'd always be in the theater watching films from the 1930s!"