• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 13, 2012

Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary writer and editor who helped give voice to feminism with a feminine touch, passed away on Monday at the age of 90. After achieving fame for her 1962 bestseller, Sex and the Single Girl, Brown took over as editor of the ailing Cosmopolitan in 1965, and quickly revived the storied magazine with a fresh new look and perspective -- including plenty of straight-forward talk about sex (still a hallmark of Cosmo's editorial today). She remained editor of Cosmopolitan until 1997. After making the title into arguably the most popular women's magazine in the world, Brown expanded the brand's reach globally as editor-in-chief of some 64 international editions. Hearst Corp. released a statement reading, in part: "“It would be hard to overstate the importance to Hearst of her success with Cosmopolitan, or the value of the friendship many of us enjoyed with her. Helen was one of the world’s most recognized magazine editors and book authors, and a true pioneer for women in journalism -- and beyond.”