Dr. James Dobson, a child psychologist and influential evangelical Christian leader who served on an advisory board for President Donald Trump, died on Thursday. He was 89.
Dobson’s death was announced by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, which did not say when or how he died.
His work centered around promoting fundamentalist Christian values to the American public through his best-selling book “Dare to Discipline” and his founding of Focus on the Family in 1977, which he grew into one of the largest evangelical ministries in the world.
His role at the ministry allowed him to shape American policies by weighing in on legislation and advising on White House panels. Dobson, a fierce advocate for “family values,” campaigned against abortion, gay rights and the banning of conversion therapy.
He most recently served on Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board.
He also started a daily radio program for Focus on the Family that counsels Christians to be good parents. He was later inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 to start the organization that bears his name. There, he continued the radio program under the name Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson.
Dobson’s daily broadcasts were played on over 4,000 radio stations across North America and translated into 27 languages in more than 160 countries, according to the obituary shared by his institute. He also authored over 70 books dedicated to upholding traditional family values and gender roles.
Over the years, Dobson served as an adviser to five U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and the current president, Trump.
“Dr. Dobson’s impact endures through the many lives he touched, the families he strengthened, and the unshakable faith he proclaimed,” his family said in a statement announcing his death.
Dobson, who was born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley; their children, Danae and Ryan; daughter-in-law Laura and two grandchildren.
