Louise Hay, "who from a 1984 bestseller built a self-help publishing empire that has attracted millions of devotees with its messages about the power of thought and attitude," died August 30, the New York Times reported. She was 90. In her many books, including You Can Heal Your Life, The Power Is Within You and Meditations to Heal Your Life, Hay "espoused an upbeat message with a metaphysical underpinning. She wrote that there is a link between thoughts and disease and life's other misfortunes, and she urged people to find a positive way to spin even the worst of them."
Hay House, which she launched in her living room during the mid-1980s, "has grown into a multimillion-dollar company handling a long roster of authors and an extensive line of products, including books, CDs and online courses," the Times noted. The company also stages lectures and workshops featuring its authors.
More than 50 million copies of You Can Heal Your Life have been sold worldwide, according to the Hay House website, which announced her death and observed that "Louise was an incredible visionary and advocate. Everyone who had the privilege to meet her, either in person or through her words, felt her passion for serving others.... Hay House will carry on Louise's legacy and continue to publish products and online learning courses that align with her message of self-improvement and self-love."
Reid Tracy, president and CEO of the company, said, "Meeting Louise changed the direction of my life. Her passion for serving others translated into everything she did. Simply by working alongside her, an analytical accountant like me transformed into someone who became aware of the power of affirmations and self-love. Being able to learn from her has been one of my life's greatest blessings. The beauty of Louise was that you didn't have to work alongside her to learn from her, you felt like you were there with her with every word you read or heard."