David Brown (producer) fifty-one years, until his death, Brown was the husband of Helen Gurley Brown, editor of "Cosmopolitan" magazine for 32 years, and author of "Sex and the Single Girl". Brown had one son, Bruce, from a prior marriage, who predeceased him, and a half brother, Edward Fisher Brown Jr. He was known equally for his mannerliness, fine wardrobe, distinctive mustache and for championing writers. He had strong connections with publishers and agents. Brown wrote "Brown's Guide to the Good Life: Tears, Fears and Boredom" (2005), which gives advice on life. He also wrote "Let Me Entertain You" (1990), an anecdotal autobiography.
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