Mike Rinder – a former Scientology top brass who became an outspoken critic of the religion – has died… according to an Instagram post by his wife.
Christie King Collbran revealed the news in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday… saying he is saddened and pained by her passing, though her courage and integrity will continue to inspire many for years to come.
Collbran says Rinder was a stable force in the lives of those who knew him… before adding “the world will remember you.”
Christie did not comment on the cause of death… although last year Rinder announced that he was battling esophageal cancer.
Included in the post is a message Christie says Mike gave her before he died. In part he says: “I have been lucky: I have lived two lives in one. Second, the most wonderful years anyone could wish for with all of you and my new family!”
He adds: “The only thing I really regret is not achieving what I said I wanted: ending the abuses of Scientology, especially the disconnection, and seeing (my son) Jack into adulthood. If you are in any way fighting to end these abuses, please keep the flag flying, never give up.”
If you don’t know, Rinder was raised as a Scientologist in Australia… and after high school, he says he signed a “billion-year” contract with the organization. to enter your inner circle.
Rinder was the international spokesperson and head of its Office of Special Affairs for Scientology… although he began speaking out about the organization’s alleged abuses in 2007.
He wrote the book “A Billion Years: My Escape from a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology”… in which he stated that the church he worried about Tom CruiseThe loyalty of during his marriage with Nicole Kidman.
Rinder later co-hosted “Scientology and the Aftermath,” the Emmy-winning series about Scientology, with Lea Remini which aired its first season in 2016.
On its website, the Church of Scientology has posted: “Mike Rinder is not a credible source on Scientology. He hasn’t entered a Church in almost a decade. The Church expelled him for misconduct and has had nothing to do with him since. “
We have reached out to the Church of Scientology…so far, we have not received a response.
