Former Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy tearfully recalled Playboy founder Hugh Hefner welcoming her into his family _ a decision that "made me who I am today."
"He would always say, 'Thanks for sharing the dream, Jen,' which he liked to say a lot. And when I thought about him passing last night ... I just thought, I wanted one more chance to just say thanks," McCarthy said Thursday on her SiriusXM show. "Thanks and thank you for sharing your dream with me and for giving so many girls and so many people an opportunity of a lifetime."
Hefner died of natural causes at his home Wednesday at the age of 91, according to a Playboy representative. Like Hefner, McCarthy grew up in the Chicago area. She worked at a Polish grocery store that sold Playboys and would "stare at the cover and think, 'Well, I can do that.'"
McCarthy, 44, moved to Los Angeles and served as Miss October in 1993 when she was 20. She was crowned 1994 Playmate of the Year.
"I was a Chicago girl," said McCarthy, who now splits her time between suburban St. Charles and New York City. "(Hefner's) dream was realized, and I think his whole (concept) of having a girl next door was real. It was authentic. He could tell I didn't come from a strip club. I was truly the girl that worked at the Polish grocery store."
