The Playboy Centerfold Curse
by Since the first issue of Playboy hit the stands in 1953, countless beauties have graced its pages and many have died tragic deaths. Some can be considered a huge coincidence, but some of these coincidences are so uncanny that one can only think there is some sort of curse on them. Here are some of their stories.
Claudia Jennings
Claudia Jennings was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year for 1970. She later became an actress and is best remembered for her athletic roles that portray a smart, strong and sexy female character type. She died in a car crash in Malibu, California on October 3, 1979 at the age of 29.
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield became a famous Hollywood movie star and first appeared in the centerfold for the February 1955 issue of Playboy Magazine. She appeared in the magazine several times after that. On June 29th, 1967, Jayne Mansfield was killed instantly at the age of 34 when her car rear ended a tractor trailer on a country road on her way from New Orleans for an early morning television interview. Witnesses agree that the crash was horrendous and shirred off the top of the car. Many believe she was decapitated because her blond wig was thrown onto the dashboard.
What is really outstanding about her death is that it came shortly after her decision to sever her ties with a questionable cult of worshipers. The leader of the cult, upon learning of her decision, told her to stay away from her boyfriend Sam Brody because it was believed that he influenced her decision. According to the cult leader’s grandson, his grandfather happened to cut out an article from a newspaper on the day of her death. When he turned the clipping over, he discovered he had accidentally cut off the head of Jayne’s picture that had been printed on the other side of the page.
Other Playmates Who have died unexpectedly include:
- Carol Willis - She appeared in the July 1970 issue and was killed in a car crash just a year and a half later on November 24, 1971.
- Tonya Crews – Tonya appeared as the playmate of the month in the March, 1961 issue of Playboy. She died in a car crash in Oklahoma on August 7, 1966 at the age of 38.
- Willy Rey - Willy was the playmate of the month in the February, 1971 issue of Playboy. She was found dead a drug overdose of sleeping pills on August 13, 1973. She was just a few day shy of her 24th birthday.
- Paige Young – She appeared in the November, 1968 issue of Playboy. She died from an overdose of sleeping pills on April 7, 1974 at the age of 30.
- Eve Meyer – She appeared in the June 1955 issue of Playboy died tragically in a plane crash on March 27 1977 at the age of forty eight. What is uncanny is that the plane crash occurred on the ground between two commercial airliners at an airport in Spain.
- Elisa Bridges – Elisa appeared in the December 1994 issue of Playboy. She later died at the mansion belonging to Edward Nahem, a friend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner on February 7, 2002.
- Sue Williams - She became an actresses whose credits included five motion pictures and appeared in the centerfold of the April, 1965 issue of Playboy Magazine. She committed suicide four years later on September 2, 1969 on her 24th birthday.
Other articles by Bren Parks include:
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Post CommentC Jordan
On November 7, 2008 at 7:00 am
I love conspiracy theories. Nice one.
Leo Reyes
On November 7, 2008 at 10:19 am
Nice article but could have been nicer if there are pictures in it.
Patrick Bernauw
On November 7, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I agree with Leo!
Bren Parks
On November 7, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Thanks for the suggestion. You will see some photos in the article by tomorrow..
KcSkye
On November 7, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Very interesting. Thanks for writing this.
Peter Cimino
On November 8, 2008 at 12:13 am
Wow..very intriguing. Who’d a thought huh? Well done
Patrick Bernauw
On November 8, 2008 at 4:19 am
Now it’s a really great article!… I love to read about curses and that sort of stuff!
Vix
On November 8, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Where’s the conspiracy? 36 girls have died since 1953? That one was murdered and others died in car crashes and drug overdoses? Nice article and interesting idea, but I’m not sure how much of a curse you can argue there is
Dieter Hentz
On November 11, 2008 at 12:13 pm
funny idea
ashley
On December 10, 2008 at 2:41 pm
well I think there’s something fishy there things like these dont usualy happen.
Zombeaze
On January 21, 2009 at 1:06 am
Don’t forget Elisa Bridges, died of a drug overdose at the home of Hugh’s best friend. She was a centerfold in 1994 I think.
Bren Parks
On January 21, 2009 at 2:42 am
Good suggestion, Zombeaze. I did some research and added her to the article along with bigger, more interesting pictures.
Hopefully, the edits will publish tomorrow. Sometimes they get rejected over a technicality and then I have to wait until the next day so I can tweak to their specifications (publisher). Very annoying…
becca
On February 17, 2009 at 1:37 pm
interesting article, never knew any of this until now!
Vixsta
On March 1, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Don’t forget Eve Stratford, who worked in The Playboy club in London U.K. Eve was brutally murdered in March 1975. No she was never a ‘Playmate’ but she was employed as a Bunny. Just thought it’d be worth a mention?
Don
On April 14, 2009 at 7:57 pm
This article is a great read. I never realized there were so many tragic playmate deaths. Thank you for writing it Bren. I love your style!
HatedNation
On May 21, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I heard of one of these before…Claudia Jennings died the day I was born, Officially declared dead just two minutes from my time of birth…Kinda odd…
DA Cournean
On May 21, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Great article Bren. Welcome back!
Glynis Smy
On May 22, 2009 at 1:11 am
Interesting piece, there is something there definately!
Bill M. Tracer
On May 22, 2009 at 2:31 am
An interesting read, but frankly I don’t believe in such a thing as a curse. People die, that’s just part of life, specifically the ending part. I think you really summed it up best when you said it may be, “simply a result of their lifestyles”. I think that has more to do with it than anything else.
kate smedley
On May 22, 2009 at 2:34 am
Very interesting article, good to see you back Bren.
Katien
On May 22, 2009 at 5:46 am
Interesting, but I don’t think the fact that these women died untimely deaths is strange at all.
Olivia Reason
On May 23, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Was Anna Nicole Smith ever a centerfold?
Biff
On July 12, 2009 at 4:36 pm
WTF does “shirred” mean?
Bren Parks
On November 3, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Shirred – although it is defined as a decorative gathering on clothing or a method of cooking, it can also mean the removal of the top of the head by a peeling type of motion.
Sorry don’t mean to be graphic, but that is what happened to Mansfield.
walterradio
On June 23, 2010 at 8:56 am
These people just died. There are no links or coincidences. Over 55 years, people die. It’s very surprising, considering their life choices, that more of them didn’t die from OD—not that I would wish that on anyone. But overall, Playmates seem very healthy
RODNEY YRIARTE
On September 21, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I WAS A FRIEND OF HERS LIVING IN VEGAS WHEN SHE PASSED AND BELIEVE ME, HER PASSING WAS NOT A CURSE. SHE LOVED TO PARTY WITH THE BEST OF US. THE AFTER HOUR CLUBS (DRAI’S) & DRUGS WERE THE THING FOR ALL OF US AT THAT TIME AND SHE PAID THE PRICE FOR IT. WE HAVE A HANDFUL OF OTHER FRIENDS THAT RAN IN OUR CIRCLE THAT DIED THE SAME WAY SHE DID. VEGAS CAN BE A ROUGH TOWN FOR ANYONE, TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! I FEEL BAD FOR HER BROTHER SHE LEFT BEHIND, HE’S A GREAT GUY.