Background

Wayne Dyer was born on May 10, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan. He passed away on August 29, 2015. Dyer was born to Hazel Irene Dyer and Melvin Lyle but spent his adolescent years in an orphanage. After graduating from high school, Dyer joined the United States Navy. He pursued his studies in counseling at Wayne State University and received a doctorate in Educational Counseling.

Despite spending his childhood in orphanages and foster homes, Dr. Dyer overcame all obstacles to realize his dreams. After a period of internal issues, he finally committed his life to help others and showing them how to follow in his footsteps.

Marriage, Divorce, and Children

Wayne Dyer, the modern father of motivation, was married three times throughout his life. He had a daughter from Judy, his first wife but none with his second wife, Susan Casselman. His first two marriages ended in divorce. He later married Marceline. They married on the island of Maui, and they spent every summer of their lives together on that island. He was blessed with five children with her, giving him six children from all three marriages.

Unfortunately, after twenty years of marriage, his third wife left him too when they separated in 2003. Marcelene moved out of the house with an Australian chiropractor that was 18 years younger than her. This separation caused Dyer great sorrow and strived for quite some time to come to terms with this painful event.

As a result of his marital problems, some people started questioning him, and his teachings shortly after the third divorce came to the surface. He penned his book The Power of Intention in 2004 when he was in a state of despair after Marcelene left him. He admitted that it was a massive shift in his life and was much more painful than the physical pain of a heart attack.

Career and Net Worth

Wayne worked as a counselor for a high school in Detroit. At St. John's University in New York City, he was a professor teaching counselor education. His passion for an academic career led him to publish articles in journals, which lead to him establishing his first private therapy practice.

Wayne's first book, Your Erroneous Zones, was published in 1976. It became an international bestseller and launched his career as an author and speaker. The success of the book convinced Dyer to quit his job to focus on writing similar books. Among them were Wishes Fulfilled, Excuses Begone, and The Sky's the Limit. The success of these bestselling books eventually led to national television talk show appearances, including The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show, and The Phil Donahue Show.

Wayne was lovingly called the "father of motivation" by his fans. When talking to audiences, Dr. Dyer would use his own life experiences as examples and often narrated anecdotes from his family life. He traveled across the globe, delivering his motivating messages. When Dyer wasn't on the road, Dyer spent his time writing at his home in Maui. His lectures on positive thinking attracted people from all over, helping Wayne choose the path that he followed until his last breath.

In an interview with Retail Insight, Wayne talked about goal setting, "Goal setting is fine if you want to be the warrior archetype. These people are setting goals constantly and trying to get someplace else. They say, "If you don't know where you are going, then you won't know when you get there." When you get to a higher level of consciousness, though you get into a spiritual approach to life, you are not trying to get someplace else because you never can get it done. You never are going to get there. Instead, what you want to do is get to a place where you are at peace. You are connected to God. You are enjoying every single day you have. Then, the growth of you and your store, if you have one, will take care of themselves."

Even though he was a self-made man, Wayne once mentioned Nisargadatta Maharaj as his teacher and the one that taught him, "Love says: 'I am everything.' Wisdom says: 'I am nothing.' Other people and ideas that formed Wayne's philosophy and concepts were Abraham Maslow's concept of self-actualization and the teachings of Swami Muktananda, whom he considered to be his master.

Death

Dyer was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which he eventually accepted after being in shock and denial for two years. From his point of view, leukemia is how the body reacts to profound psychological traumas and unsettled conflicts, which are the results of failed and damaged relationships.

On August 29, 2015, Wayne passed away from a heart attack at the age of 75. His passing was announced by his publicist, Lindsay McGinty. He had been diagnosed with leukemia since 2009. Still, He claimed to have treated it with positive thinking, daily exercise, and "psychic surgery" performed remotely by the Brazilian medium João Teixeira de Faria, better known as "John of God."

After his death, the Dyer family used his Facebook account for one last post in which they wrote, "Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night. He always said he couldn't wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying. Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much our scurvy elephant will enjoy the other side. We Love You Forever Dad/Wayne - The Dyer Family"