Bruno Mars Makes History as 10th Man to Appear on 'Playboy' Cover (Photo)

Bruno Mars joins an elite group of men as the 10^th male to grace the cover of Playboy.

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The Grammy Award-winning musician is featured in the mag’s April Sex and Music issue, out March 16. He appears on the cover alongside Raquel Pomplun, as well as in a fashion pictorial and interview on the inside pages. In his feature, Mars models spring designs by Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana and more.

“Growing up in the showbiz world, I looked up to those guys: Frank Sinatra and of course Elvis Presley,” he told Playboy of his idols. “My dad was into the 1950s doo-wop era. If you look at those groups, or at James Brown, Jackie Wilson and the Temptations in the 1960s, you’ll see you had to be sharp onstage.”

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Mars flaunts his signature style and dresses sharply for his photo spread, which includes the colorful shot below. Mars is pictured below wearing a shirt by Palace Costume Los Angeles, pants by Louis Vuitton, sunglasses by Ray-Ban and loafers by Re-Mix. In the cover shot above, Mars dons his own personal Armani suit.

Surprisingly, the “Grenade” singer chose Jimi Hendrix, not Sinatra or Presley, as the musician he would most like to work with if given the opportunity. “I think he’s the greatest guitar player in the world, and I would want to see him do his thing in person,” Mars said. “He’s the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place.”

As a Playboy cover star, Mars follows in the footsteps of several Hollywood icons. Peter Sellers was the first Y-chromosome to appear on the cover back in April 1967, followed by Burt Reynolds (October 1979), Steve Martin (January 1980), Donald Trump (March 1990), Dan Aykroyd (August 1993), Jerry Seinfeld (October 1993), Leslie Nielson (February 1996), Gene Simmons (March 1999) and Seth Rogen (April 2009).