“I think she identified with the flack I got for Fear of Flying. She did the impossible—published my love poetry in Cosmo. She taught me that feminism was mentoring, that older women and younger women could be allies, that there was nothing to fear from alliances with women. In that, she was quite remarkable. She also taught all of us to talk and flirt with our significant others at dinner, to treat our husbands like dates, and to never stop flirting. She was a great mentor." —Erica Jong, author
“If you picked up the phone and heard her kitten-purr voice, or opened the mail to find a letter from her on her trademark pink stationery, it always made you stop and pay attention. Anytime Helen reached out to you, she had this magical way of making you feel adored.” —John Searles, Cosmo’s editor-at-large
“I was so lucky to get to meet (Helen) in 2008 in New York. At 86, she was still editor of Cosmopolitan International. When I got there, she was just typing away on her manual typewriter. I had been to see the play South Pacific the night before, and we found ourselves singing "There Ain't Nothing Like a Dame" at the top of our lungs. We laughed and laughed. We visited for over an hour. She sent me a charming letter after the visit, thanking me for the list I gave her, my top five HGB pieces of advice: ‘If I don't say so myself, they're pretty wise (she underlined the word "wise", can't you just hear her saying it?). The best advice may be #2- 'Get up and do it if it needs to be done, even if you hate it!' But thank you for quoting all 5.” She was funny! We will never see the likes of her again. Thank God she left us with her books so we can still have a cheerleader. And thank God I got to meet her. And laugh with her. What a thrill it was! What a doll she was! What a life she lived!” - Susan Miller, astrologer
"My favourite HGB quote, which runs through everything we try to do on UK Cosmo is: 'Live big, go for it, be the best you can be in every area of your life.' I only met Helen on a handful of occasions but was inspired to meet a woman who believed so much in other women and the freedom and fun they deserved." —Louise Court, editor-in-chief, Cosmopolitan UK
“Patsy’s fondly remembers Helen Gurley Brown as being such a wonderful friend. She would always order a blackberry brandy on the rocks (which we would have waiting for her when she arrived), the cold antipasto, beans and macaroni soup, and rigatoni marinara with a side of escarole sautéed in garlic and oil. Helen would never miss a special occasion at Patsy’s. We recall a particular memory when we were hosting a book party for Rosemary Clooney. Helen hadn’t seen Rosemary in years and when they spotted each other, Rosemary dropped the book that she was autographing and ran over to Helen, greeted her with a big hug, and the two reminisced for hours. Helen was a one-of-a-kind, loving, and giving person and we will miss her dearly.” —Joe and Sal Scognamillo, Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York City
"I worked for Helen for 16 years as and in many ways it was the best time of my professional life. She was simply extraordinary—smart, funny, passionate about women helping shy young women get comfortable with their sexual selves and most surprising of all she was completely down to Earth. This was her secret, I think. She always told it like it was, expressed 'the true truth' as she liked to call it, no fancy big words or high falutin talk for her. She was like a sparkler, shooting off ideas, advice and compassion for those of us who were lucky enough to work for her. She touched our lives and our hearts just as she did the lives and hearts of her millions of readers and I am going to miss her terribly." —Betty Kelly Sargent, former Cosmo books and fiction editor
“When I moved to L.A. in 1971, Cosmo was my secret adviser. I was only 21 at the time and was caught somewhere between being a small-town girl from Texas and a California beach girl. I was longing to be a feminist but also wanted to be a pretty, feminine one, and Cosmo kept me in the know with tips on dating and fashion. It was just for women like me!” — Gloria, 63
“Cosmo was cool because it talked about sex and dating and all the things my friends and I were really interested in. if you wanted answers, you went to Cosmo, because back then, we didn’t talk about sex openly with each other. It spoke our language!”—Barbara, 65
"When I was in college, I was having sex, but I was too embarrassed to talk with anyone about it. So I relied on Cosmopolitan for the relationship advice I sorely needed.”—Cindy, 55
“When Cosmo came out, I was in college at Berkeley. I considered myself feminist, but the whole movement was a little man-bashing at the time and didn’t relate to my life and my ultimate goals. Cosmo said it was okay to want equal rights and a boyfriend. That balance resonated with me more because it was realistic; it was go-girl, without being too preachy.”—Josie, 66
“When I was a sophomore in college, I went through a bit of a depression phase. Then at some point, I picked up an issue of Cosmo and read an article entitled ‘You Can So Run Away From Your Problems.’ What a refreshing concept! My parents and friends were always lecturing me with the exact opposite advice, saying my problems would just come with me no matter where I was. I’ll always be grateful to Cosmo for telling me that running away was acceptable, that it didn’t mean failure, and that the world is full of opportunities.”—Maureen, 63
“Back in the 1970s, I read Cosmo faithfully. At the time, I was a young stay-at-home mom, and reading the magazine was an escape for me. It was a way to live vicariously through the guise of a glamorous, go-getting Cosmo girl.” —Diane, 64
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