Publishing leaders have paid tribute to Moral Majority founder and author Jerry Falwell, who died Tuesday at age 73.

Pastor of 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church since 1956, Falwell wrote several books, including If I Should Die Before I Wake, published by Thomas Nelson in 1986. He was found unconscious in his office at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and died of apparent heart problems, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Sam Moore, retired chairman of Thomas Nelson, said that Falwell “believed in books.” “He knew how important books were,” Moore told Christian Retailing. “He believed in and supported Christian bookstores, and Christian publishing and Bible publishing. … He encouraged others to write. He was a good customer and a good friend of Nelson.”

Nelson also released Falwell's most recent books: Building Dynamic Faith (October 2005) and Achieving Your Dreams (January 2006).

Regal Books published Falwell's Fasting Can Change Your Life in 1998. Bill Greig III, president and CEO of Gospel Light and Regal, said that he and Regal Publishing Group Senior Editor Steven Lawson met with Falwell on March 21 to discuss new book ideas.

“He was a warm, loving and humble man,” Greig said. “Jerry was a great man of God, and I believe he was a prophet to the church and to our nation. Jerry ran a great race and finished strong.”

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, discussed Falwell's legacy during Larry King Live earlier this week. “Ultimately, what he cared about most was his relationship with Jesus Christ,” Dobson told King. “He has had a profound impact across this nation and around the world by having the boldness and the courage to stand up for the things that he believed.”

Falwell's funeral is set for May 22, the AP reported. He is survived by his wife, Macel, and three children, Jerry, Jonathan and Jeannie.

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