Leo Buscaglia

Leo Buscaglia, born Felice Leonardo Buscaglia on March 31, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, to Italian immigrant parents, was an American author, motivational speaker, and professor of special education at the University of Southern California. Inspired by a student's suicide, he created the popular non-credit 'Love 1A' class in the late 1960s, authored bestselling books on love and human relationships, and promoted the importance of hugs and positive touch. Known as 'Dr. Love' or 'Dr. Hug,' he died of a heart attack on June 12, 1998, at his home near Lake Tahoe.