James Arthur Ray, self-help guru & convicted felon, dies, family says
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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — James Arthur Ray, the self-help guru who served prison time for causing the deaths of three people during a retreat in 2009, has died, according to a family member who posted the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Ray’s account, a family member said he died “suddenly and unexpectedly” on Friday night.
“His passion in life was always to make others’ lives better and more fulfilled. I’m happy to say that he accomplished that thousands of times over. He was the most intelligent, focused, and disciplined person I have ever known,” the post said.
Ray rose to fame during the early 2000s thanks to appearances in “The Secret” and on TV with Oprah Winfrey and Larry King where he explained his self-help philosophy that included spirituality, “harmonic wealth,” and eccentric activities.
In October 2009, he hosted a “Spiritual Warrior” retreat at the Angel Valley Retreat Center near Sedona.
Ray conducted a sweat lodge ceremony that lasted for hours, which led to Kirby Brown and James Shore dying that day. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
A third person, Liz Neuman, died eight days later.
Ray continued his speaking tour until he was arrested on three counts of manslaughter in February 2010.
In 2013, he was released from prison, and later that year, he restarted his self-help business by posting motivational and coaching videos.
Seek Safely, an organization that was formed in honor of Kirby and the other victims, posted a statement on their website, extending their condolences to the Ray family but didn’t hold back on the legacy of Ray.
“While there could be some small measure of relief in knowing that Ray will no longer be able to harm anyone, it is, truly, very little comfort. It became clear to us early on after Kirby’s passing that Ray was just one operator in a multi-billion dollar per year industry built on the exploitation of those who would improve their lives and find fulfillment,” the statement said.
Content retrieved from: https://www.azfamily.com/2025/01/05/james-arthur-ray-self-help-guru-convicted-felon-dies-family-says/.
