DALLAS (AP) 鈥 Dave Hollis, who left his post as a Disney executive to help his wife run a successful lifestyle empire, has died at his home in Texas. He was 47.
Hollis, whose wrote the bestseller 鈥淕irl, Wash Your Face,鈥 was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon at his home in Dripping Springs, a city on the outskirts of Austin, according to Hays County Justice of the Peace Andrew Cable.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death since Hollis, who was last seen the evening before, was 鈥測outhful and didn't have a long medical history,鈥 Cable said.
In an on Tuesday, Rachel Hollis asked for prayers as the family tries to 鈥渘avigate through the unthinkable.鈥
鈥淲e are devastated,鈥 she wrote. 鈥淚 have no words and my heart is too broken.鈥
Dave Hollis worked for Disney for 17 years and had been head of distribution for the company for seven years when he left in 2018 to join his wife's venture. The parents of four moved from Los Angeles to the Austin area, collaborated on livestreams, podcasts and organized life-affirming conferences. In their podcast, 鈥淩ise Together,鈥 they focused on marriage.
When Rachel Hollis in 2020 that they were getting divorced, she said they had worked 鈥渆ndlessly鈥 over the prior three years to make their marriage work but came to the conclusion that 鈥渋t is healthier and more respectful for us to choose this as the end of our journey as a married couple.鈥
During his tenure at Disney, Hollis oversaw the release of blockbusters and films in the the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 franchise. He told The Associated Press in 2018 that he joined his wife鈥檚 enterprise after realizing he was in a corporate rut. He said his new life felt 鈥渓ike a calling.鈥
Hollis also wrote motivational books. His book 鈥淕et Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic鈥檚 Guide to Growth and Fulfillment鈥 was published in 2020 and he released 鈥淏uilt Through Courage: Face Your Fears to Live the Life You Were Meant For鈥 in 2021.
Fitness trainer Heidi Powell, who dated Dave Hollis after his divorce, called his death 鈥渁 nightmare鈥 Tuesday.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 the way it was supposed to end,鈥 Powell said.
