Dave Hollis, novelist, former Disney executive, and ex-husband of writer Rachel Hollis, died on Tuesday at the age of 47, a representative confirmed to CBS News.
Kevan Lyon, Hollis’ literary agent, informed CBS News in a statement that Hollis died over the weekend. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.
“I had the privilege of collaborating with him on multiple books, including his most recent release with his daughter Noah,” Lyon added. “In this incredibly difficult and tragic moment, my thoughts are with his children and family.”
Rachel Hollis, Dave Hollis’s four-year-old daughter, commented about his passing on Instagram.
“We are completely saddened,” she tweeted on Tuesday. “I am at a loss for words, and my heart is too crushed to find them. Please pray for the children as we attempt to navigate the unfathomable “She penned a letter.
According to Variety, he was recently hospitalised after suffering from cardiac problems. According to his website, Hollis formerly served as president of sales at The Walt Disney Company’s film studio.
Following the success of his wife’s blog and 2018 book, “Girl, Wash Your Face,” he left Disney after 17 years and became CEO of The Hollis Company, which focuses on generating media content, books, and events.
“‘Fine, I don’t believe it,’ I eventually remarked one day. I believe there is some snake oil in the personal development industry, but it has worked for you. I have to see what it’s all about.’ “In September 2018, he told The Associated Press.
The pair co-hosted successful self-improvement programmes. He continued to work as a life coach and run a similar business after he and Rachel Hollis filed for divorce in 2020, authoring books such as “Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment” and “Built Through Courage: Face Your Fears to Live the Life You Were Meant for,” and hosting the “Rise Together” podcast. On February 9, the most current edition of the health-focused interview podcast was released.
According to his website, Hollis also launched the Dave Hollis Giving Fund, which works to help foster children, homeless youths, and the food insecure, and was a four-time foster parent.
He has also served on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ membership committee and is a member of the Academy. He sat on the boards of Fandango Labs, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers, National Angels, and Pepperdine University’s Institute for Entertainment Media and Culture.
Mel Robbins, another motivational speaker, blogged about Hollis following his passing, stating she and her husband, Chris, loved him like a brother.
“You made me giggle like no one else I’ve ever met. We could chat for hours about anything and to anyone. And so we did. There was laughing wherever we went “She penned a letter.
The New York Times reported in 2019 that the pair, who married in 2004, made encouraging “a full-time profession,” but they announced their divorce in 2020.
“”Our marriage has been a victory in so many ways… and it has run its course,” Dave Hollis said in a now-deleted Instagram post at the time. “Despite still loving and deeply respecting each other as friends, co-parents and business partners, Rae and I decided that the best way to allow each of those to thrive in the future is to end our marriage while the option for a beautiful, unconventional new family, friendship and partnership still exists as a real and hope-filled option.”
Following the couple’s divorce, Dave Hollis launched his own podcast, “Rise Together,” and wrote two self-help books, “Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment” and “Built Through Courage: Face Your Fears to Live the Life You Were Meant For.”
In 2022, he published “Here’s to Your Dreams!: A Teatime with Noah Book,” a children’s picture book.