Wayne W. Dyer | Self-help guru, 75

Wayne W. Dyer, 75, who became the pied piper of the self-help movement with the 1976 publication of his runaway best-seller, Your Erroneous Zones: Step-By-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life, died Sunday of a heart attack at his home in Hawaii.

Dr. Dyer published more than 40 books, including such best-selling titles as I Can See Clearly Now and Pulling Your Own Strings.

Although he had been diagnosed with leukemia, Dr. Dyer remained active until his death, recently lecturing in Australia and New Zealand.

"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," his family said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. "Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much our scurvy elephant will enjoy the other side."

The prolific author and avuncular public speaker counted such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, and fellow self-help guru Tony Robbins among his friends, and tributes from them and others poured across the Internet.

"The world has lost an incredible man," said Ellen DeGeneres, who posted a photo on Twitter of Dr. Dyer officiating at her wedding to Portia de Rossi.

Winfrey, who interviewed him often, said, "It was always a pleasure to talk to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer about life's big questions."

He was also a popular figure on public radio and television programs.

A Detroit native, Dr. Dyer earned a doctorate in educational counseling from Michigan's Wayne State University before going on to teach at St. John's University in New York. - AP