Dave Hollis and Heidi Powell first met to discuss their divorces on air

Dave Hollis and Heidi Powell were head over heels in love with each other. The duo first met when the motivational author called the fitness expert to record a podcast episode about going through their respective divorces and little did they know they would become each other’s soulmates in the process.

Dave and Heidi were married to their former spouses Rachel and Chris. Both their marriages ended in divorce in 2020.

The sudden death of the former president of worldwide distribution at Disney’s movie studio, Dave, at the age of 47 has left his fans and others in the industry shocked.

A representative for the late author confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away at his home outside Austin, Texas on Saturday night. The exact cause of his death hasn’t been shared.

• MORE: Viewers react to Rachel Hollis’ ‘Boyfriend News’ as author shares 2021 dating updates

Dave Hollis and Heidi Powell met in 2020

Dave’s Instagram has many posts that talk about his beautiful relationship with his girlfriend Heidi. Going by one of the posts from February 2021 in which he shared the story of their first meeting, they started dating around September 2020.

Dave said, he has been reading Heidi’s books and listening to her podcast while going through his divorce from his former wife Rachel.

A few months into the separation, he asked the fitness expert (you may know her from ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss) if she would like to join him on his podcast to talk about relationships coming to an end and dealing with life as a single parent. However, they never turned the mike on and spent hours getting to know each other.

The author wrote in the caption for a picture of his and Heidi’s from a skiing trip, talking about their first meeting:

“We sat & talked for 4 hours. Ran through all the similarities in divorces that chose us. We each have four kids, were transitioning away from partners we’d been working with and had to work through a relationship ending in public. It made me feel normal.”

The relationship between them bloomed with time and the duo went on to set major relationship goals in the next two years; not just as a couple, but also as single parents whose relationship was supported by their respective children.

Dave and Heidi had four children each, whose pictures and videos they often shared on Instagram.

He was previously married to Rachel Hollis

Rachel and Dave announced their divorce in 2020. They were reportedly married for 14 years and shared four children together.

Prior to that, the couple ran a podcast together called Rise Together since 2018 and Dave is believed to have left his job with Disney as the president of worldwide distribution to join his then-wife’s business.

After the separation, the podcast switched to a Dave-only format. Meanwhile, Rachel went on to release her lifestyle guide,Girl, Wash Your Face, which got dragged into a TikTok drama.

The author received a lot of attention a few months following the controversy with her major relationship updates.

Meanwhile, Heidi was previously married to television host Chris Powell. They ended their relationship after being married for close to a decade.

They reportedly shared their mutual decision through a joint statement issued on Chris’s Instagram. In the same post, the couple revealed that the decision to call quits on their marriage was made over “the course of many months on a quest to create the best dynamic for our modern family, and we are now in a great place.”

Tributes pour in for former Disney distribution executive

Dave had grown to become a major inspiration to hundreds and thousands of his fans around the globe. Many have taken to social to share their condolences.

One tweeted: “I followed Dave on Instagram. He was an amazing father-wrote great children’s books and inspirational books. He was gifted in so many ways. He exercised religiously. My sincere condolences to Dave Hollis’ children, partner and Mom of his children. May his memory be a blessing”

“Rest in peace, my brother. This beautiful project is one reason your legacy carries on,” read another comment under his post about the launch if his forthcoming children’s book.

A third person wrote: “I’m sorry for his lost my deepest condolences to his boys and daughter may his soul rest in peace”

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