Nichole Van Croft

About Nichole Van Croft

According to her Playmate Profile video, she claims to have been a tomboy growing up, sporting a crewcut until she was 11 or 12 years old. In high school, she played varsity volleyball and basketball. She even broke her collarbone playing football.

While eating pizza with her girlfriends after a night spent clubbing, she was approached by a Playboy photographer who gave Nichole his card. The next day she called Playboy, made an appointment for a photo shoot and a week later she got the call from the magazine to become a Playmate.

Nichole Van Croft became the Playmate of the Month in October 2000 and appeared in several Playboy videos. She was also featured in other magazines such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. She came out as the first lesbian centerfold in 2003, despite later marrying two men.

In an appearance on Howard Stern in 2001, van Croft claimed that soon after becoming a Playmate, Hugh Hefner asked her to move into his bedroom. She claims that when she refused, he cut her off from his personal life.

She also won $1.2 million after suing the NYPD for a 2006 incident where she was allegedly assaulted by a police officer who claimed that she had pulled a gun on him. She said that the officer threw her to the ground and injured her neck.

She passed away on April 20, 2018. No details were known about her death, which occurred in Bardstown, Kentucky. She was buried in Conyers, GA in a family plot.

The cause of death was ruled as homicide by strangulation, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. The police did not reveal any suspects or motives for the killing.

Playboy Spain Playmate of the Month November 2000
Playboy France Playmate of the Month December 2000
Playboy Croatia Playmate of the Month June 2002