TEEN MAG PUBLISHER LAUFER DEAD AT 87

Charles Laufer, who launched a publishing empire based on teen fan magazines that often featured pictures of shirtless androgynous boys who were “stars” only in the magazines themselves, has died at age 87. His daughter Teena Naumann said that her father died on April 5 in Northridge. His magazines included Tiger Beat and Fave, which at their peak sold hundreds of thousands of copies each month. They could sometimes propel the young heartthrobs who were featured regularly in them into actual stardom. They included Matt Damon (“Take a Bath with Matt,” headlined one article) and frequent cover boy Leif Garrett. At the same time, they could take advantage of the extensive marketing campaigns of movie studios, record companies, and TV networks, selling tons of issues featuring the likes of David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, Chris Atkins, and Davy Jones. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Laufer’s son Scott, who now publishes Tiger Beat and Bop, said, “The readers of these magazines, they’re becoming consumers for the first time, falling in love for the first time. … We’re trying to make it a positive experience for them. It’s pretty wholesome fun for teenage girls.”