Leo Buscaglia

Before television audiences knew him as “Dr. Love,” Felice Leonardo Buscaglia had already lived between worlds. He was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 31, 1924, into a family of Italian immigrants, spent his early childhood in Aosta, Italy, and returned to the United States for his education. A graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School, he came of age during World War II and served in the U.S. Navy. He did not see combat, but in the dental section of a military hospital he saw its aftermath closely, helping reconstruct shattered faces.

After the war, Buscaglia used G.I. Bill benefits to enter the University of Southern California, where he earned three degrees: a BA in 1950, an MA in 1954, and a PhD in 1963. He eventually joined USC’s Department of Special Education as a professor. His manner was as memorable as his message. He was known for stepping into an elevator, turning his back to the door, and introducing himself with the line, “This might be the only chance I’ll ever get to meet you and I don’t want to miss this chance.” In his yard, he would rake leaves and bring them into a room so he could sit and study them, struck by the thought that every leaf was different.

The event that shaped his public work came while he was teaching at USC. A student’s suicide moved Buscaglia to think hard about human disconnectedness and the meaning of life. In response, he began a noncredit class called Love 1A. That class became the basis for his first book, titled simply Love. From there, his speaking and writing found a much wider audience. The Public Broadcasting Service discovered his dynamic lecture style, and in the 1980s his televised talks became hugely popular. Shown during fundraising periods, they were at one point the top earners of all PBS programs.

Buscaglia’s books matched the warmth and immediacy of his talks. His storytelling helped make all his titles national bestsellers, and at one time five appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list simultaneously. He was also the first to state and promote his well-known idea about humanity’s need for hugs: 5 to survive, 8 to maintain, and 12 to thrive. Upon retirement from USC, he was named Professor at Large, one of only two people on campus then to hold that designation.

His place in popular culture showed how recognizable his message had become. Snoopy’s affectionate behavior in a 1984 Peanuts strip was explained as the result of listening to Leo Buscaglia tapes, and later references appeared in The Americans, The Far Side, and Spectacular Spider-Man. Buscaglia died of a heart attack on June 12, 1998, at his home in Glenbrook, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, at age 74. His words still draw readers because they speak plainly to isolation, tenderness, and the choice to love others while we can: “Don’t hold onto anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love.”