Porn mogul Hugh Hefner’s famed California abode, the Playboy Mansion, is at the centre of a health investigation after 170 people, who had attended a fundraiser there, reportedly fell ill.
Los Angeles County health officials said that the possible outbreak of legionellosis, or Pontiac fever, had affected people who attended the February 3 Domainfest Global Conference held at the mansion, reported Los Angeles Times.
But Hefner has shot down reports that a fog machine used at a recent party is to blame for a virus outbreak among a group of guests.
“There were events every night, and we are giving them a list of all the venues. We have no idea what this is or where it came from. The Mansion being to blame is at the moment, pure speculation,” said a Domainfest spokesperson.
And Hefner’s representative has denied the allegations altogether, because others present at the bash have not experienced any symptoms.
“There is no truth in the rumour that anyone caught anything at the Playboy Mansion. Nor is there any evidence. None of the Playboy staff became ill, the deejay was in the middle of the fog and she didn’t get ill,” said the publicist of the 84-year-old mogul.
“We have been contacted by the health department and the Playboy Mansion is cooperating fully with the investigation,” added the publicist.
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Diana’s brother engaged to a Canadian
London: The British aristocracy’s wedding calendar is filling up. Less than two months after Prince William is due to wed his university sweetheart Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, his uncle, Earl Spencer, will be tying the knot with Canadian philanthropist Karen Gordon at his ancestral home in Althorp, in central England.
Spencer’s representatives said on Tuesday the marriage would take place during a private ceremony on June 18 but no further details would be disclosed.
Spencer, 46, is the brother of the late Princess Diana. He remains best known for the moving eulogy he delivered at her funeral service in 1997. But he’s an aristocrat in his own right — an earl — a family title which dates back to the 17th century. He’s worked as a writer and broadcaster, including a stint as a contributing correspondent for NBC News. He’s the author of books including The Spencer Family and a well-received military history entitled: “Blenheim: Battle for Europe.”
Gordon is the founder and chief executive of Whole Child International, a Los Angeles-based charity that works to help orphaned, abandoned, or abused children.
It will be Spencer’s third marriage. He has four children from his first marriage, to Victoria Lockwood, and two children from his second marriage, to Caroline Freud. —AP