Best-selling author, veterans advocate dies

EL PASO — An Army veteran who overcame a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder to become a best-selling author and veterans advocate died over the weekend in El Paso.

Luis Carlos Montalvan, 43, died late Friday night at a downtown hotel, officials with the El Paso Police Department said.

Montalvan was the author of the best-selling book Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him. The 2011 book details his struggles with PTSD and how his dog, Tuesday, helped him.

There were no signs of foul play and the cause of death is pending investigation by the Medical Examiner’s Office, according to a release issued by the El Paso police.

His friend and co-author Ellis Henican called Montalvan's death a "huge tragedy."

“He made great progress," said Henican, who had been working with Montalvan on his followup to his bestseller for the past year. "This PTSD thing is real.”

Henican and Montalvan's book, Tuesday’s Promise, is finished and is scheduled to be published in May by Hachette Book Group, Henican said.

Montalvan spent the past few years of his life on the road, traveling the country, speaking, selling books, being an advocate for veterans and doing events for adults and children, Henican said. He spoke in El Paso in February.

He became one of the nation’s foremost advocates for using service dogs to help combat post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues. He appeared on National Public Radio, CNN, C-SPAN and the Late Show With David Letterman.

His beloved dog was not with him at the time of his death, Henican said.

Montalvan overcame a “horrific case of post-traumatic stress” from his time in the military, Henican said.

“When he got back from Iraq and got out of the service, his anxiety from his experience was so severe, he couldn’t go outside," Henican said. "He had to call to the deli for food."