Author of #1 Best-Selling Hospice book The Needs of the Dying & Newest Release - Visions, Trips and Crowded Rooms

Now on Oprah.com as a contributing expert! Also featured on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times

David Kessler is one of the most well-known experts and speakers on grief and loss today, reaching hundreds of thousands of people through his books and teachings. His first book, The Needs of the Dying received praise by Mother Teresa and has been the #1 bestselling hospice book. David also co-authored two books with the legendary Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss and Life Lessons. David considers it an honor and privilege to have worked so closely with Elisabeth for 10 years and to be with her during her passing.

David has helped thousands of men, women, and children face life and death with peace, dignity and courage. He worked with Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marianne Williamson when their loved ones faced life-challenging illnesses. He also worked with Anthony Perkins, Michael Landon and industrialist Armand Hammer when they faced their own deaths. His volunteer work includes serving as a member of the Red Cross Mental Health Disaster Team and as a Specialist Reserve Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, on its trauma team. He also is chairperson for the Hospital Association of Southern California Palliative Care Committee.

His work has been discussed in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Business Week and Life Magazine, and has been featured on CNN-Cross Fire, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, and Entertainment Tonight. He has written for the Boston Globe and The SF Chronicle. He has also been interviewed on Oprah & Friends and now writes book reviews for The Los Angeles Times. He was featured on national televisions shows to discuss Michael Jacksons death as well as being mentioned in the newly released book, My Journey with Farrah.

David Kessler, one of the most renowned experts on death and grief, takes on three uniquely shared experiences that challenge our ability to explain and fully understand the mystery of our final days. The first is visions. As the dying lose sight of this world, some people appear to be looking into the world to come. The second shared experience is getting ready for a trip. These trips may seem to us to be all about leaving, but for the dying, they may be about arriving. Finally, the third phenomenon is crowded rooms. The dying often talk about seeing a room full of people, as they constantly repeat the word crowded. In truth, we never die alone. Just as loving hands greeted us when we were born, so will loving arms embrace us when we die.