Self-help author James Arthur Ray, whose seminar led to tragedy and death, dies at 67

PHOENIX (AP) — James Arthur Ray, a self-help guru whose multimillion-dollar business toppled after he led a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona that left three people dead, has died. He was 67.

In a post on X, his family announced that Ray died “suddenly and unexpectedly” late last week but didn't specify the cause. Up until then, he co-hosted a podcast with his wife and shared advice via social media.

“His passion in life was always to make others’ lives better and more fulfilled,” Ray’s brother, Jon Ray, wrote. “I’m happy to say that he accomplished that thousands of times over.”

Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada where was Ray residing, said it had received a death report of a man matching Ray's name and age.

Ray's earlier business in which he taught people about spiritual and financial help was boosted by appearances in the 2006 Rhonda Byrne documentary “The Secret,” which he promoted on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Larry King Live.”

The sweat lodge deaths occurred after dozens of people traveled to a scenic retreat just outside Sedona in October 2009 for Ray’s five-day “Spiritual Warrior” event. The sweat lodge was the culminating event, touted as “hellacious hot” and a chance for participants to have powerful breakthroughs.

Two people — 38-year-old Kirby Brown of Westtown, New York, and 40-year-old James Shore of Milwaukee — died inside the sweat lodge and 18 others were injured. Another person, Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, fell into a coma and died after more than a week in the hospital.

At trial, prosecutors said Ray ratcheted up the heat to dangerous levels, ignored pleas for help, and watched as overcome participants were dragged out of the sweat lodge.

A jury acquitted Ray of more serious manslaughter charges and convicted him of three counts of negligent homicide, for which he served concurrent sentences for the deaths. He was released in July 2013.

Ray had acknowledged that he was responsible for the deaths but offered no excuses for his lack of action as the chaos unfolded at the sweat lodge.

After leaving prison, Ray remained active in the self-help industry. He frequently posted videos on social media of himself and his wife, Bersabeh Ray, offering advice. The couple also hosted a podcast, Modern Alchemy, and maintained a website where Ray offered one-on-one video sessions up to 90 minutes for $2,500.

In the wake of Brown's death, her family established Seek Safely, an organization offering support for those who may be vulnerable to exploitation by the self-help industry. In a statement on the organization's website, Brown's sister, Jean, offered condolences and said Ray was just one of many operators “in a multi-billion dollar per year industry built on the exploitation of those who would improve their lives and find fulfillment.”

“We can only, at this juncture, remind seekers that no ‘guru,’ or program, or mindset is larger than life or without fault. That a journey of self-improvement is noble and vulnerable. That we must always remain in charge of that process of growth and change, rooted in our values, our worth, and our right to seek free from harm,” she wrote.

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Gabriel Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.