Renowned Christian motivational speaker Zig Ziglar passed away in a Texas hospital Wednesday morning after battling pneumonia.
The Associated Press confirmed with Ziglar's executive assistant, Laurie Magers, that the influential speaker known for "The Ziglar Way" died at a hospital in Plano, Texas.
Dr Tony Evans, Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, issued a joint statement with his wife, Lois Evans, regarding the passing of the motivational speaker and author.
"We have lost a giant of the faith who was able to connect Kingdom principles with professional life in a way that brought excellence, integrity and productivity to the workplace in the name of Jesus Christ. Personally, we will always be grateful to him for helping launch the speaking career of our daughter, Priscilla Shirer," the Evanses said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.
Ziglar's many supporters were alerted of his death when the following statement was published to his Facebook page, linked to his official website, Ziglar.com:
"Zig Ziglar passed from this world today after a short bout with pneumonia. Though his time on earth has ended, he is speaking with Jesus now in his heavenly home. The angels in heaven are rejoicing and his family is celebrating a life well lived.
"If Zig has impacted your life or you want to leave a message to the family, please leave your remarks on his Facebook page. Don't worry about being too specific or long. Take as much space as you want...the family wants to know."
The notice on the Christian motivational speaker's passing was shared by more than 14,000 Facebook users within hours of its posting.
Many of his supporters shared testimonies of how he impacted their lives.
"Calvert Zig Ziglar changed my life! I'm a goal setter, business owner, and a much better person because of him. On my bucket list I really wanted to hear him in person," shared Kristin O'Malley. "Now I'll have to wait until heaven. Thank you family for sharing him with me!"
"Zig and Jesus will have a GREAT conversation. A man who could communicate love, inspiration, and information, he has changed many lives," shared another supporter on Facebook.
Declared the "undisputed king of motivation", Ziglar won many awards for his work and retired in 2010 after spending 50-plus years "serving God, sharing hope and teaching the Ziglar (Way)" according to his website. He wrote more than 30 books, including See You at the Top and Over the Top, according to the AP.
The renowned motivational speaker leaves behind his wife, Jean Ziglar, and two children Tom Ziglar and Julie Ziglar, who continue to share their father's teaching methods aimed at improving people's lives and careers.
