Query: L. Ron Hubbard died in 1996.

Relevant passages:
L. Ron Hubbard <=SEP=> Lafayette Ronald Hubbard ( March 13 , 1911 -- January 24 , 1986 ) , better known as L. Ron Hubbard ( -LSB- ɛl_rɒn_ˈhʌˌbərd -RSB- ) and often referred to by his initials , LRH , was an American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology . In 2014 , Hubbard was cited by the Smithsonian magazine as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all time , as one of the eleven religious figures on that list . After establishing a career as a writer , becoming best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories , he developed a system called Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950 . He subsequently developed his ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and practices as part of a new religious movement that he called Scientology . His writings became the guiding texts for the Church of Scientology and a number of affiliated organizations that address such diverse topics as business administration , literacy and drug rehabilitation . The Church 's dissemination of these materials led to Hubbard being listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated and published author in the world . The Guinness World Record for the most audio books published for one author is also held by Hubbard .   Although many aspects of Hubbard 's life story are disputed , there is general agreement about its basic outline . Born in Tilden , Nebraska , he spent much of his childhood in Helena , Montana . He traveled in Asia and the South Pacific in the late 1920s after his father , an officer in the United States Navy , was posted to the U.S. naval base on Guam . He attended George Washington University in Washington , D.C. at the start of the 1930s , before dropping out and beginning his career as a prolific writer of pulp fiction stories . He served briefly in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and was an officer in the United States Navy during World War II , briefly commanding two ships , the USS YP-422 and USS PC-815 . He was removed both times when his superiors found him incapable of command . The last few months of his active service were spent in a hospital , being treated for a duodenal ulcer .   After the war , Hubbard developed a philosophy he called Dianetics , which he called `` the modern science of mental health '' . He founded Scientology in 1952 and oversaw the growth of the Church of Scientology into a worldwide organization . During the late 1960s and early 1970s , he spent much of his time at sea on his personal fleet of ships as `` Commodore '' of the Sea Organization , an elite inner group of Scientologists . His expedition came to an end when Britain , Greece , Spain , Portugal , and Venezuela all closed their ports to his fleet . At one point , a court in Australia revoked the Church 's status as a religion , though it was later reinstated . Hubbard returned to the United States in 1975 and went into seclusion in the California desert . In 1978 , a trial court in France convicted Hubbard of fraud in absentia . Others convictions from the same trial were reversed on appeal , but Hubbard died before the court considered his case .   In 1983 L. Ron Hubbard was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an international information infiltration and theft project called `` Operation Snow White '' . He spent the remaining years of his life on his ranch , the `` Whispering Wind , '' near Creston , California , where he died in 1986 . A small group of Scientology officials and physician Dr. Eugene Denk attended to him before his death , for a number of ailments including chronic pancreatitis . In 1986 , he died at age 74 in a 1982 Blue Bird motor home , which was situated on his property .   The Church of Scientology describes Hubbard in hagiographic terms , and he portrayed himself as a pioneering explorer , world traveler , and nuclear physicist with expertise in a wide range of disciplines , including photography , art , poetry , and philosophy . In Scientology publications , he is referred to as `` Founder '' and `` Source '' of Scientology and Dianetics . His critics , including his own son Ronald DeWolf , have characterized him as a liar , a charlatan , and mentally unstable , though DeWolf later repudiated those statements . Though many of Hubbard 's autobiographical statements have been found to be fictitious , the Church rejects any suggestion that its account of Hubbard 's life is not historical fact .