Former Cosmopolitan editor, Helen Gurley Brown passed away today at a New York City hospital at the age of 90, according to a press release from Hearst.
An American author and publisher, Brown published the 1962 best-selling book "Sex and the Single Girl" before taking over at Cosmo, owned by Hearst, three years later in 1965.
Brown remained editor for more than 30 years until 1997. She was married to the late David Brown, producer of "Jaws," "The Sting," and "Driving Miss Daisy."
In 1995, Brown received the Henry Johnston Fisher Award from the Magazine Publishers of America and the ASME (American Society of Magazine Editors) Hall of Fame Award the following year in 1996.
This past January, Brown donated $30m to Columbia and Stanford to create the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation that will connect journalism programs on both coasts.
The funds will be used to improve upon journalism technology available to both schools, with $6m going toward updates that will include a "state-of-the-art high-tech newsroom."
"David and I have long supported and encouraged bright young people to follow their passions and to create original content,” said Brown in an announcement at the end of January. “Great content needs useable technology. Sharing a language is where the magic happens. It’s time for two great American institutions on the East and West Coasts to build a bridge.
CEO of Hearst, Fran Bennack released the following statement:
“Helen Gurley Brown was an icon. Her formula for honest and straightforward advice about relationships, career and beauty revolutionized the magazine industry. She lived every day of her life to the fullest and will always be remembered as the quintessential ‘Cosmo girl.’ She will be greatly missed.”
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