Haunting final text Disney exec Dave Hollis sent his ex-girlfriend before his cocaine-induced death

The ex-girlfriend of the late Disney executive Dave Hollis has revealed the haunting final text he sent her before his cocaine-induced death.

The 47-year-old, who helped relaunch the Star Wars brand, among other profitable box office hits, died on February 11, 2023 after taking a cocktail of drugs in his home in Dripping Springs, Texas. 

Nearly a year after his tragic death, his ex-partner, Heidi Powell, 42, who started dating Dave after his divorce to Rachel Hollis, talked about the 'beautiful' conversation she had with him the day he passed.

Dave expressed his sorrow over their split, citing the end of their blended family bond. 

'It was like his soul knew it was time because he sent me the most insightful (text), like, "Hey coming to grips with where you and I are. It doesn't mean, like, I'm not just losing you, you are not just losing me, we are losing our kids",' Heidi told hosts Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and Michael Bosstick on a recent episode of the Him & Her Podcast.

She has four children with two different fathers - Derek Solomon and Chris Powell. 

Dave shares four children with his ex-wife, Rachel. They got divorced in 2020 after 16 years of marriage. 

Heidi, a YouTube star and fitness trainer, said her late partner was also 'telling me how much I meant to him' that tragic day. 

'It was the most beautiful day of text messages and phone conversations ever. There is closure with him, the most beautiful closure,' she added. 

'I feel complete. I'm like, man this is why they say never go to bed mad at your spouse. Never. We weren't spouses. But never go to bed holding a grudge,' the former Extreme Weight Loss co-host said. 

She also revealed that Hollis often struggled with depression brought on by online criticism about him. 

'I think some people have an easier time dealing with criticism than others, and that was really difficult for him.

'I think that was the root of his depression, was what people said online,' Heidi revealed, adding that he was 'really affected' by the negative comments. 

After his sudden death, Heidi posted a heartbreaking tribute to Instagram about her former partner. 

'This isn’t the way it was supposed to end. When we posted this photo 2 years ago today to announce our love and to celebrate your birth, I think we both had a different idea of how our story would play out. It didn’t look like this,' Heidi said. 

'I’m heartbroken and totally devastated. I’m sick. My kids miss you so much. Our world is rocked. I will never be the same. 

'You loved me so well, Dave. You loved your kids and your people so deeply.

'Your heart was far too big for this world… and I was the lucky one who got to see and experience the magnitude and depth of your infinite love,' she added. 

She later shared a video on Instagram in August after his cause of death was revealed. 

'None of what I know now takes away from the life he was in this world and it doesn’t take away from the things I love about him,' Heidi said. 

'Commenting any further is not my job. It’s not that it’s not my job, it's not my place. 

'Dave has family and it is their place and their honor and I really want to respect that, even in posting too much about missing him. It’s not because I don’t, it’s because I really care to respect his family and not everything has to make it online to be real,' she added. 

His ex-wife, bestselling author and podcaster Rachel, who wrote the 2018 self-help manual 'Girl, Wash Your Face,' told of her grief on Instagram after Dave was pronounced dead. 

'We are devastated. I have no words and my heart is too broken to find them,' Rachel said. 'Please wrap the kids up in prayers as we try and navigate through the unthinkable.' 

He left behind Rachel and their four children, Jackson, Sawyer, Ford and Noah. 

Less than a week before his death, Dave shared a photo of his youngest daughter, Noah, grinning at him while standing on a dock with a fishing rod.

He captioned it: 'From a freeze to shorts in less than 48 hours. Today was a good day. ❤️'

But just six days later, the Disney-executive turned self-help guru was found dead. 

Dave abruptly quit his job as head of global distribution at Disney in 2018 to join his then-wife Rachel's self-help empire, after she shot to internet fame by sharing a candid photo of her stretch-marks. 

The executive once had it all, living in a lavish $3.5 million California mansion with Rachel and their children.

When she found fame, Dave is said to have struggled with his ex-wife's over-sharing about their lousy sex life and her new role as the family breadwinner.

'Now that she doesn't need me,' he once wrote. 'Will she still want me?'

A behind-closed-doors rivalry for social media clout apparently ended their marriage in 2020. 

The dad also tried his hand at becoming a bodybuilder with help from Heidi. 

Dave's transformation was especially shocking to his friends and former colleagues, as he'd once appeared to have the world at his feet.

His battles with alcoholism landed Dave in rehab in early 2022, and those that knew him said he lost the helpful nature of his posts and instead felt the need to record and share every aspect of his life to retain an online following.

Friends and neighbors said that while he would, on the face of it, create inspirational workout videos and montages, he was also slipping out to buy alcohol as early as 7am.

When his son once saw negative reviews about his father's content, Heidi said he texted her: 'I don't know what to do... I hate this part of my life.'

This continued until, in February 2023, he agreed to go to Alcoholics Anonymous after a blackout - which came at the same time he was still releasing podcasts and religiously sharing social media snaps.

When he failed to show up for the AA meeting he agreed to, a family friend went to check on him, and found him dead in bed.  

An autopsy found his death was accidental, and he had toxic levels of cocaine, ethanol and fentanyl in his system, which made a lethal cocktail as he also suffered from an underlying heart condition. 

As a top Disney executive, Dave spent 17 very fruitful years at the media giant, and reportedly even remarked to a friend that he believed he had the potential to someday take over from famed CEO Bob Iger.

His perks included stock options, yearly tickets to the Oscars, and responsibility over the release of blockbusters including Black Panther and the Star Wars franchise.