Saturday, Wayne Dyer, the best-selling self-help guru and author of 30 books died at the age of 75, his family and publisher said.
- Wayne Dyer died in Maui, Hawaii.
- Wayne Dyer, Detroit Denby High and Wayne State University graduate.
- His first book Your Erroneous Zones (1976) is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 35 million copies sold.
Dyer’s family post on Facebook page,”Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night. He always said he couldn’t wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying. Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much our scurvy elephant will enjoy the other side.”
Reid Tracy, chief executive of Dyer’s publisher, Hay House said. The cause of death wasn’t immediately reported, but he had been diagnosed with leukemia several years ago.
Dyer was born in Detroit, Michigan to Melvin Lyle Dyer and Hazel Irene Vollick and spent much of his childhood (until he was ten years old) in an orphanage on the east side of Detroit, after his father walked out on the family leaving his mother to raise three small boys. After graduating from Denby High School, Dyer served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962. He received his D.Ed. degree in counseling from Wayne State University for a dissertation titled “Group Counseling Leadership Training in Counselor Education” under the supervision of Mildred Peters.
According to Rich Homberg, president and CEO of Detroit Public Television, “As a pioneer in the genre we now refer to as ‘self-help’ programming, he connected deeply with public television audiences that share his mission for personal improvement,” Homberg added. “For millions and millions of people, he was a touchstone of understanding and self-awareness and confidence, he always just felt so genuine, and so real, and he went to such lengths to help people understand.”
Wayne Dyer was influenced by Abraham Maslow’s concept of self-actualization, and by the teachings of Swami Muktananda whom he considered to be his master. In his book, “Wishes Fulfilled; Mastering the Art of Manifesting,” Dr. Dyer also credited Saint Francis of Assisi and the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu and their teachings as being foundational influences in his work.
Wayne Dyer was married three times. He had a daughter, Tracy, from his first wife, Judy. His second wife was Susan Casselman (no children). He had five children (Skye, Summer, Serena, Sands, and Saje) with his third wife, Marcelene, who has two children (Shane and Stephanie) from a prior marriage. Wayne and Marcelene legally separated in 2001 after twenty years of marriage.
My beliefs are that the truth is a truth until you organize it, and then becomes a lie. I don’t think that Jesus was teaching Christianity, Jesus was teaching kindness, love, concern, and peace. What I tell people is don’t be Christian, be Christ-like. Don’t be Buddhist, be Buddha-like. Religion is orthodoxy, rules and historical scriptures maintained by people over long periods of time. Generally people are raised to obey the customs and practices of that religion without question. These are customs and expectations from outside the person and do not fit my definition of spiritual.IMAGE/Dr. Wayne W. Dyer FACEBOOK Page