Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Hugh Hefner on His 91st Birthday: ''I'll Celebrate You Forever!''

Reality star famously dated the Playboy magazine founder

By McKenna Aiello Apr 09, 2017 8:54 PMTags
Watch: Cooper Hefner Talks Hef's "American Playboy" Show & More

Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett is paying tribute to a man she'll never forget. 

As Hugh Hefner turns 91 today, his former girlfriend and companion took to Instagram with an emotional message to the Plaboy magazine founder. "Happy birthday Hef!!" Kendra, who is now married to Hank Baskett, wrote alongside a photo of the pair. 

"Thank you for EVERYTHING. People might not understand you but that's because they've never had the chance to know you like I do. I'll celebrate you forever!!!" she continued.

Wilkinson-Baskett first found fame in the early 2000s while living with Hefner at the Playboy Mansion and starring on the E! reality series, Girls Next Door. Since then, Kendra has opened up about the impact he made on her life and says she still keeps in close contact with the famous mogul. E! News recently caught up with the birthday boy's son, Cooper Hefner, where he assured fans his father's health isn't in jeopardy.

"He's doing fine," Cooper revealed. "My dad has always made the joke that if the mansion was your house, why would you want to leave?"

"I think because he has stepped back from the day to day operations of the business, people have thought that his health was not very good," he added. "The reality is he has a really bad back—that happens when you're 90—and he is enjoying life at the mansion."

Earlier this year, we spoke to Kendra during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival about the last time she'd seen Hugh, which was only a few months earlier. He looked "very healthy," she noted. 

In a previous conversation, Wilkinson-Baskett described, "We had a great talk and we were very happy to see each other. You know and there were rumors that things are happening, but God, he's 91-years-old! He's gonna live longer than us!"

Happy birthday, Hef.