(Reuters) - Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary editor of Cosmopolitan magazine who helped usher in the sexual revolution, died on Monday at the age of 90.

"Helen was one of the world's most recognized magazine editors and book authors, and a true pioneer for women in journalism," Frank Bennack Jr, chief executive of the Hearst Corp., wrote in a memo to staff confirming Gurley Brown's death.

Hearst is the parent company of Cosmopolitan.

Gurley Brown put her stamp on Cosmopolitan, editing the magazine for 30 years, which became famous for its cover lines extolling the virtues of sex.

Gurley Brown was at the forefront of changing sexual mores when she wrote "Sex and the Single Girl," published in 1962, about her single life, encouraging women to have sex freely regardless of their martial status.

She died at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center after a brief hospitalization, Bennack wrote.

--

Journalism New York Journalism New York