DALLAS (AP) — 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 ex-wife Rachel Hollis wrote the bestseller “Girl, Wash Your Face,” 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 “youthful and didn’t have a long medical history,” Cable said.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Rachel Hollis asked for prayers as the family tries to “navigate through the unthinkable.”
“We are devastated,” she wrote. “I have no words and my heart is too broken.”
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, “Rise Together,” they focused on marriage.
When Rachel Hollis announced on Instagram in 2020 that they were getting divorced, she said they had worked “endlessly” over the prior three years to make their marriage work but came to the conclusion that “it is healthier and more respectful for us to choose this as the end of our journey as a married couple.”
During his tenure at Disney, Hollis oversaw the release of blockbusters including “Black Panther” and films in the the “Star Wars” franchise. He told The Associated Press in 2018 that he joined his wife’s enterprise after realizing he was in a corporate rut. He said his new life felt “like a calling.”
Hollis also wrote motivational books. His book “Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment” was published in 2020 and he released “Built Through Courage: Face Your Fears to Live the Life You Were Meant For” in 2021.
Fitness trainer Heidi Powell, who dated Dave Hollis after his divorce, called his death “a nightmare” in an Instagram post Tuesday.
I’ve been thinking about this since I found out he died. Disney had exponential movie growth while he was in charge of distribution. He left Disney in 2018, around the time of other resignations. Was the reason he gave the real reason?
I followed him on Instagram. He was seemingly a great guy and father. Divorce hit him hard and I think he had some substance abuse issues for which he apparently went into rehab last year.
I would bet he was vaxxed as his family is in CA and he did some international travelling.
But now his 4 kids are suffering, age 16-6(?). So very sad.