Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar dies at age 86

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar died Wednesday morning at the age of 86 in Dallas, according to his website and his Facebook page.

“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,” according to the Facebook page.

A longtime Dallas fixture, Ziglar’s speaking career spanned more than 50 years. He retired in December 2010.

Ziglar and Jean, his wife of 65 years, had lived in a retirement community in Plano, Texas for the past two years, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Ziglar was a World War II veteran who grew up in Yazoo City, Miss., and then went to work in sales for a series of companies, where his interest in motivational speaking grew, according to his website.

He was known for corporate training and motivational speeches that aimed to improve people’s personal lives and careers. His company includes more than a dozen other speakers who advocate “The Ziglar Way.”

Ziglar wrote more than 30 books, including “See You at the Top” and “Over the Top.”

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