Hugh Hefner’s wife Crystal Hefner opens up about his death

Hugh Hefner’s wife, Crystal Hefner, opens up days after the death of Playboy‘s founder.

“I haven’t been able to bring myself to write most people back to thank them for their condolences,” Hefner told E! News in a statement: “I am heartbroken. I am still in disbelief.”

Her husband passed away in his home on Wednesday, Sept. 27. “We laid him to rest Saturday,” she said. “He is in the place he was always certain he wanted to spend eternity.”

She continues: “He was an American hero. A pioneer. A kind and humble soul who opened up his life and home to the world. I felt how much he loved me. I loved him so much. I am so grateful. He gave me life. He gave me direction. He taught me kindness. I will feel eternally grateful to have been by his side, holding his hand, and telling him how much I love him.”

Crystal Hefner, 31, is Hefner’s third wife. “He changed my life, he saved my life. He made me feel loved every single day,” she explained. “He was a beacon to the world, a force unlike anything else. There never has and never will be another Hugh M. Hefner.”

A funeral took place for the 91-year-old at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Hefner’s children — daughter Christie Hefner, 64, David Hefner, 62, Marston Hefner, 27, and Cooper Hefner, 26 — were all present.

Some of Hugh Hefner's women