Dr Ruth’s Last Moments: Sex Therapist Touched Pages Of Her Unpublished Book As Life Ebbed Away
July 16 2024, Published 8:30 p.m. ET
Famed American sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer who died on July 12 at the age of 96, managed to find a moment of happiness in one of her final wishes – being able to see and touch her new book before it went to press, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The non-fiction book, titled The Joy of Connections, discusses “how to beat loneliness and live a happier and more meaningful life,” and was written in conjunction with her longtime publicist and co-author Pierre Lehu, and journalist and author Allison Gilbert.
In a recent interview, Gilbert spoke about bringing her a bound copy of the book the last time she saw her.
She claimed she did it so Dr. Ruth "could see it, so she could touch it, so she could run her fingers over the pages and know that it was really, truly happening as all authors like to do. You want to see the pages, you want to feel the pages."
Gilbert first met Dr. Ruth in the summer of 2023 when she interviewed her for the New York Times and then met with her every week, thereafter.
She told People: "This constant, this consistent, this near-weekly attention to this book brought her purpose and joy. And I felt so honored to be a part of it with her."
Dr. Ruth passed away at her home in New York surrounded by her family. She left behind a legacy of breaking taboos and advocating for open conversations about sexuality.
The famed therapist, who escaped the Nazis as a child in her native country of Germany, posted on social media about the many things that interested her in the months leading up to her death.
"When I was younger, I both skied and water skied so yes, I would have tried," she wrote on a June 27 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, about a video of a woman sliding down a sand dune. "Maybe even last year at age 95!"
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Throughout her career, Dr. Ruth called for an open dialogue on once-taboo topics, emphasizing the importance of addressing issues that affect millions without shame.
Her final gift to the world, The Joy of Connections, will be released on Sept. 3.