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

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

News

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

2025-01-07 07:54 Last Updated At:08:12

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.

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.

FILE - Self-help guru James Arthur Ray stands in court on the first day of his criminal trial, March 1, 2011 in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jack Kurtz, Pool, File)

FILE - Self-help guru James Arthur Ray stands in court on the first day of his criminal trial, March 1, 2011 in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jack Kurtz, Pool, File)

FILE - James Arthur Ray stands with defense attorney Thomas Kelly, right, before his criminal trial, March 17, 2011 in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Tom Tingle, File)

FILE - James Arthur Ray stands with defense attorney Thomas Kelly, right, before his criminal trial, March 17, 2011 in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Tom Tingle, File)

FILE - James Arthur Ray listens to prosecuting attorneys speak during his criminal trial, March 8, 2011, in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File)

FILE - James Arthur Ray listens to prosecuting attorneys speak during his criminal trial, March 8, 2011, in Camp Verde, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File)

Next Article

Dominican Republic to crack down harder on migrants as Haitians flee violence

2025-04-08 00:29 Last Updated At:00:31

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican President Luis Abinader has announced more than a dozen measures to crack down on migrants who have entered the Dominican Republic illegally as people in neighboring Haiti flee a surge in gang violence.

The measures that Abinader qualified as “painful but necessary” in a speech Sunday include charging patients for hospital services and sanctioning those who rent homes or commercial businesses to migrants who lack proper documentation.

“The rights of Dominicans will not be displaced. Our identity will not be diluted. Our generosity will not be exploited. Here, solidarity has limits,” Abinader said.

He said that starting on April 21, hospital staff will be required to ask patients for their identification, work permit and proof of residence.

If a patient is unable to present any of those documents, they will receive medical attention and then be deported immediately, Abinader said, adding that a migration agent will be stationed at every hospital to ensure compliance.

The government also will deploy an additional 1,500 soldiers to the border that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, boosting the total number of personnel stationed there to 11,000, Abinader said.

He also announced he would speed up construction of a border wall to add another eight miles (13 kilometers) to the 34 miles (54 kilometers) already built.

“I recognize that many are concerned about the threat Haiti poses. Concerned about the irregular migration it causes. Concerned about the burden this places on our hospitals, our schools, the risks to our security, and the strain on our economy,” Abinader said.

So far, his administration has deported more than 180,000 suspected undocumented migrants since it announced in October that it would deport 10,000 of them a week. Human rights activists and dozens of those who have been deported have accused the government of abuse, including breaking into homes without a warrant to arrest people.

Abinader also announced that legislators would debate a new bill calling for stricter penalties against those who help migrants cross into the Dominican Republic illegally.

“The violence that is destroying Haiti will not cross over to the Dominican Republic,” Abinader said.

The president added he would try to have businesses hire only Dominican workers in certain sectors.

“For far too long, agriculture and construction have depended on illegal workers,” he said.

Abinader spoke a week after an ultranationalist movement organized a protest in a Dominican community where many Haitians live to demand that the government impose measures against illegal migration as it threatened to hold a national protest if its demands were not met.

Abinader’s announcement also comes as gangs in Haiti that control at least 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, continue to attack once-peaceful communities in a bid to control more territory.

He called on the international community to “do their duty,” noting that Haiti needs help and that the Dominican Republic “cannot and should not burden a crisis that is not theirs.”

Associated Press reporter Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed.

Supporters of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group take part in march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Supporters of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group take part in march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Supporters of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group take part in a march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Supporters of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group take part in a march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Angelo Vasquez, center, the leader of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group speaks to supporters during a march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Angelo Vasquez, center, the leader of the Antigua Orden Dominicana nationalist group speaks to supporters during a march against immigration at a Haitian settlement called "El Hoyo de Friusa" in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

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