Untimely demises of comedian, Dick Gregory and Playboy Editor-in-Chief, Hugh Hefner, recently sparked remembrance of the relationship the two shared.
Dick Gregory, a widely acclaimed comedian, activist, and entrepreneur died August 19, 2017. Gregory was shortly followed by businessman and friend, Hugh Hefner, who passed on September 9, 2017.
According to complex.com, “Hefner saw Gregory working at the Roberts Show Bar in Chicago and offered him a gig at his Chicago Playboy Club.” The business relationship between the two began the development for the strong bond the two would later share.
Gregory was struggling financially before Hefner invested in his talent.
Gregory revealed, “[They] offered me $50 for the night. I’d never made more than ten.” After solidifying his spot at the Playboy Club in 1961, Gregory began his claim to fame.
The loyalty and belief in Gregory that Hefner had was made evident through his investments in Gregory’s talent and passions.
Nola.com notes, “Hefner kicked in $25,000 to help Gregory find the bodies of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, three civil rights activists who disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss.” The money was used as a reward for any information involving the murders of three activists in 1964, which brought attention to the case.
Hugh Hefner did not only help and fund Gregory’s excursions, Hefner alone was a fairly active advocate for civil rights in the 60’s. In fact, Hefner did not allow segregation in his clubs. The closing of his clubs in New Orleans and Miami was the result of his intolerance when club management refused to let people of all races inside.
Hefner stated on CBS in 2011 that, “I felt from a very early age that there were things in society that we were wrong, and that I might play some small part in changing them.”
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Hugh Hefner & Dick Gregory
October 10, 2017
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