Ayn Rand's Lover Has Died (No, not Rand Paul)

Nathaniel Branden, writer Ayn Rand's former devotee, lover and intellectual heir, who, after a bitter schism, moved to Los Angeles and became a bestselling author on self-esteem, has died. He was 84..

Branden, a psychotherapist, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness, said James Peron, a close friend.

He is widely credited with popularizing her philosophical teachings on the power of the individual and the perils posed by the unfettered state. Rand made many of her points in two blockbuster novels, "The Fountainhead" (1943) and "Atlas Shrugged" (1957).

“I felt as if ordinary reality had been left somewhere behind and I was entering the dimension of my most passionate longing.”- Nathaniel Branden, on his first meeting with Ayn Rand

Branden and Rand had a notoriously messy falling out — a split so tumultuous that she publicly denounced him and his then-wife, Barbara, and ordered his name stripped from the dedication of future editions of "Atlas Shrugged". Today, groups of Rand followers, who through the years have included economist Milton Friedman and former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, are still at odds over Branden, whose stormy, on-again, off-again, 15-year affair with Rand was conducted with grudging consent from each of their spouses.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-nathaniel-branden-20141209-story.html