Helen Gurley Brown Helen Gurley Brown Helen Gurley Brown (February 18, 1922 – August 13, 2012; born Helen Marie Gurley) was an American author, publisher, and businesswoman. She was the editor-in-chief of "Cosmopolitan" magazine for 32 years. Helen Marie Gurley was born February 18, 1922 in Green Forest, Arkansas, the daughter of Cleo Fred (née Sisco; 1893-1980) and Ira Marvin Gurley. At one time her father was appointed Commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. After his election to the Arkansas state legislature the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. He died in an elevator accident on June 18, 1932. In 1937,
Helen Gurley Brown magazine played an important role in helping young women redefine their roles in society." Audie Cornish from NPR said that Helen "has been called a bad girl, a pioneer in Prada, a revolutionary in stilettos." Brown looked at herself as a feminist, but this description was contested by several others. After a brief hospitalization, Helen Gurley Brown died August 13, 2012 at the McKeen Pavilion at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. She was 90. In a statement announcing the news of her death, Hearst Publications noted that "Helen was one of the world's most recognized magazine editors and book authors, and a