Mike Rinder, the former senior Scientologist who with fellow ex-member Leah Remini exposed the organization via a podcast and an Emmy-winning docuseries, has died. He was 69.
“This is the last post on this site. I have shuffled off this mortal coil in accordance with the immutable law that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes,” Rinder wrote in a final post written on his personal blog. “My only real regret is not having achieved what I said I wanted to — ending the abuses of Scientology”
In June 2023, journalist and Scientology expert Tony Ortega had shared that Rinder had advanced esophageal cancer. On Sunday, Ortega wrote on X, “Mike Rinder sent us an email today, to let us know that he had shuffled off this mortal coil. That was so like him, thoughtful to the end. We’re just coming to grips with this news.”
“I am heartbroken by the loss of one of the most compassionate and fearless people I’ve ever known. Rest in peace, @MikeRinder,” actress and former Scientologist Nazanin Boniadi wrote on X.
Born April, 10, 1955, in Adelaide, Australia, Rinder’s parents joined Scientology while he was a child and he grew up in the organization. At 18, he joined Scientology’s Sea Org, a senior level of staff within the organization. He continued his ascent in the organization and eventually became the executive director of the Office of Special Affairs, effectively becoming the chief media-facing representative of Scientology as well as, by his own admission, the...
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