A once prominent self-help guru who was convicted of murdering three people during a retreat in Sedona in 2009 died Friday.
in social media poststhe family said James Arthur Ray died “sudden and unexpected” at the age of 67, but did not give a cause of death.
Ray rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on Oprah, the Today Show, and CNN touting his spirituality-based self-help philosophy and a concept he called “harmonious wealth.”
In 2009, he hosted a five-day “Spiritual Warrior” retreat at Angel Valley Retreat Center outside Sedona. Activities included a sweat lodge ceremony that lasted several hours in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.
According to court testimony, Ray ignored participants’ pleas for help and instead pushed them further, saying it was part of a life-changing process of rebirth.
Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Newman ultimately passed away. Eighteen other people were hospitalized.
Ray was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison. After being released from prison in 2013, he resumed his business.
The family of one of the victims, Kirby Brown, founded Seek Safely, a nonprofit organization dedicated to regulating the self-help industry.
They expressed their condolences to Ray’s family in a statement, but added that Ray was just part of an “exploitative” industry and his death brings little relief.
