Mike Rinder, Scientology spokesman turned whistleblower, dies at 69

By Gabrielle Calise, Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. — Mike Rinder, a former top Scientology spokesperson who later broke away and became one of the church’s most outspoken critics, died Sunday, Jan. 5 in Palm Harbor due to esophageal cancer. He was 69.

Rinder, who once worked closely with church leader David Miscavige, later went on to win two Emmys for his work on the docuseries “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”

Rinder was born in Australia and raised as a Scientologist.