Wayne Dyer

Wayne Dyer, an author turned his 1976 best-seller "Your Erroneous Zones" into a self-help empire, died Saturday in Maui, Hawaii, his publisher and family reported via Facebook. He was 75.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

In 2009, Dyer was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia but he claimed to have treated the disease with positive thinking, daily workouts and "psychic surgery" by the Brazilian spiritualist João Teixeira de Faria.

Dyer, a psychotherapist and former professor at St. John's University in New York, was a friend and frequent guest of Oprah Winfrey, appearing on her show many times over the years.

The former daily talk-show host and head of the OWN network tweeted a tribute to Dyer on Sunday night:

It was always a pleasure to talk to @DrWayneWDyer about life's big questions. He always had big answers. RIP Wayne. You brought the Light. - Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 31, 2015

Ellen DeGeneres, another longtime fan of Dyer's, offered her own tribute, complete with a photo from her 2008 wedding to actress Portia De Rossi.  

The world has lost an incredible man. Wayne Dyer officiated our wedding & was an inspiration to so many. Sending love pic.twitter.com/kzsCS278jr -- Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 30, 2015

In more than 30 books, including "The Power of Intention" and "Stop the Excuses! How to Change Lifelong Thoughts," Dyer espoused a philosophy that positive, happy thoughts can lead to a positive, happy life.

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the story of Wayne Walter Dyer was classic Dickensian.

Born in Detroit in 1940, Dyer grew up an orphan, an experience that molded a self-reliance as well as an aversion to self-pity.

"I grew up in the east side of Detroit in an area where there was very little, except for a lot of scarcity, poverty and hunger," he said in a 2009 interview with Success magazine. "But I never woke up saying, 'I'm an orphan again today, isn't this terrible? Poor me,' (...) there were a couple of very affluent neighborhoods nearby, but I never thought for one second that those people had more than I had. It just seemed that they got what they were entitled to, and if I really wanted those things, then I would have them, too."

After a stint in the Navy, Dyer pursued an education in counseling, graduating with advanced degrees from Wayne State University. He was teaching at St. Johns University in New York in 1976 when he penned his first self-help book. His life would never be the same.

"Your Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life" brought him out of the classroom and the clinic and propelled him onto the speaker's circuit, earning him millions on its way to becoming one of the best-selling books of all time.

Dyer espoused his philosophy throughout the more than 30 self-help books, including "The Power of Intention" and "Stop the Excuses! How to Change Lifelong Thoughts." His books generally centered around the notion that one has to has to think positive, happy beliefs in order to live a positive, happy life.

He stayed busy until the very end, doling out pithy nuggets of wisdom to his Twitter followers ('chasing success is like trying to squeeze a handful of water. The tighter you squeeze, the less water you get.') and maintaining a hectic speaking schedule.

Dyer, who lived in Maui, married three times and had eight children.