Iconic motivational speaker of the 20th century, Zig Ziglar, died on Wednesday at the age of 86.

The news was announced on his Facebook page this morning: "Zig Ziglar passed from this world today after a short bout with pneumonia. Though his time on earth has ended, he is speaking with Jesus now in his heavenly home. The angels in heaven are rejoicing and his family is celebrating a life well lived. "

Ziglar was born Hilary Hinton Ziglar in Coffee County, Ala. After his father died when he was five, Ziglar began selling peanuts and connecting with people, which eventually lead to his future career.

He served in World War II and later became a successful salesman. He started doing speaking engagements in the 1950's as part of his sales job, but eventually developed the medium as a tool for various motivational engagements.

Ziglar wrote more than two dozen books and was considered one of the top authorities on salesmanship, with speaking tours that were routinely sold out around the globe.

Ziglar's words inspired numerous fans over the years with his heartfelt advice on everything from family issues to getting rich. He experienced a fall a few years ago that left him with short-term memory problems and he referenced himself in his speeches about health. Health issues that caused severe memory loss were the topic of one of his speaking engagements in 2007.

Julie Ziglar Norman talked about her father to the Plano Star Courier in 2010 after he experienced the fall, saying, "It touches people in a different place, because they see he has not let the circumstances in his life dictate how he responds to [life]."

Ziglar retired in December 2010 to live with his wife Jean in a retirement community in Plano, Texas. He was married to his wife for 65 years.

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