Paul Thigpen, a renowned Catholic author and theologian, has died at 71, according to a Feb. 25 statement from TAN Books.
“Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of my dear friend and author, Dr. Paul Thigpen, who passed away on Tuesday,” Conor Gallagher, CEO of the publishing house, wrote in a message to readers.
Thigpen was widely known in Catholic publishing circles as a prolific author, apologist and speaker whose works explored theology, spiritual warfare, and the lives of the saints. Over the course of his career, he served the church as a theology professor, historian, apologist, catechist, and musician, Gallagher said.
Gallagher said Thigpen will be remembered for his “intellectual clarity, faithful witness, and generous dedication to sharing the Truth of the Catholic faith,” and described him as “a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.”
“Paul was not only one of the most respected Catholic authors in our industry, but a man who never left a conversation without making you a better person,” Gallagher wrote. “He was one of those rare souls whom people did not merely admire — they loved.”
Gallagher added: “I have no doubt that Paul’s work has not ended, but only begun. From heaven, he will do even more for those he loved than he could while on earth.”
Friends of TAN,
— TAN Books (@TANBooks) February 25, 2026
Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of my dear friend and author, Dr. Paul Thigpen, who passed away on Tuesday.
Paul was not only one of the most respected Catholic authors in our industry, but a man who never left a conversation without making… pic.twitter.com/nTpak588JU
An award-winning journalist and frequent contributor to Catholic journals and magazines, Thigpen authored nearly 60 books, including bestsellers translated into multiple languages. He was known for drawing on Scripture, Church teaching, and mystical accounts in his writing.
Among his most widely read works was Manual for Spiritual Warfare (2014), a guide rooted in Scripture and Catholic tradition. He also wrote Saints Who Saw Hell: And Other Catholic Witnesses to the Fate of the Damned (2019) and Saints Who Battled Satan.
In 2022, he published Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and the Angels?, examining whether belief in intelligent alien life could be reconciled with Catholic theology. That same year, he released The Life of Saint Joseph as Seen by the Mystics, drawing on mystical writings about the foster father of Jesus.