Laufner R.I.P.

CHARLES LAUFER, 87, a high school teacher who founded the teenage girl magazine Tiger Beat, in part to give his students something to read, died of heart failure in Northridge, CA. The Newark, NJ-born Laufer was a star basketball player in high school before moving to L.A., where he graduated from USC to teach high school English, journalism and history. In 1965, after a series of teen fan magazines, he started Tiger Beat with his brother Ira to cover “guys in their 20s singing la-la songs to 13-year-old girls.” When the mag approached bankruptcy, he signed an exclusive deal with The Monkees for special magazines, picture books and love beads. The Laufer brothers sold Tiger Beat in 1978 for a reported $15 million, with a then-circulation of 700k. In 2003, Laufer’s son Scott bought Tiger Beat, which he now publishes with Bop. In addition to his brother and son, he is survived by his wife of 55 years, the former Dorothy Lacey; daughters Kerry Laufer, Laurie Fitzgerald and Julie Jenkins; and 10 grandchildren. (4/13p)