There was only really ever one woman for Hugh Hefner, despite his many years surrounded by beauties at the Playboy mansion. The magazine mogul was left devastated this week following the death of his long-time secretary Mary O'Connor. The Playboy founder, 86, announced the sad news of O'Connor's passing on Twitter, saying, "Mary passed away today. We loved her more than words can say."

The two worked closely for over 40 years, with O'Connor even making appearances on his hit E! show The Girls Next Door. "Hef and everyone at the mansion are taking this really hard," an insider tells US Weekly magazine. Though the cause of the death is unknown, O'Connor was known to have been in poor health. Hefner recently tweeted, "Crystal [Harris] is going to visit Mary O'Connor, who is not doing very well. Mary has our prayers. We all love her." Hefner married Harris on New Years' Eve, though had it not been for O'Connor, the couple would likely have stayed apart following the breakdown of their engagement in June 2011. "It's Mary O'Connor that brought Crystal Harris back," Hefner explained on Twitter last June. "Crystal was miserable & said so. Mary told Crystal to write and tell me, which she did."

Kendra Wilkinson, one of the most famous Playboy bunnies of recent times, tweeted, "RIP Mary O'Connor. She was an amazing person who helped me through so much." Mary's husband 'Captain Bob' passed away around nine months ago.

Hugh Hefner, Kandyland, Hugh Hefner Was Left Devastated By The News Of Mary O'Connor's Passing