Dr. Ruth could “feel” the pages of her upcoming book before she died, says co-author

Dr. Ruth was able to achieve one final goal before her death.

American sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer died on Friday, July 12, at the age of 96, her publicist and frequent co-author Pierre Lehu confirmed to PEOPLE. According to The New York Times And The Washington PostShe died at home in New York City – her cause of death is unconfirmed.

Before her death, Westheimer and Lehu were working with co-author Allison Gilbert on a book to help people understand and cope with loneliness. Penguin Random House will The joy of connections in September.

The book offers readers “100 ways to overcome loneliness and live a happier and more meaningful life.”

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In the pages of the upcoming nonfiction book, Westheimer embodies the role of Ambassador of Loneliness, a position to which she was appointed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in November 2023.

In an exclusive PEOPLE interview about the upcoming project and her friend Dr. Ruth, Gilbert talks about how the last time she saw Westheimer, she watched her achieve her goal of finishing the book.

“The last time I saw Dr. Ruth, we were together and the editor of our book was able to give her a bound copy of The joy of connections,“, says the Emmy award-winning journalist.

“So she could see it, so she could touch it, so she could run her fingers over the pages and know that it was really and truly happening, as all writers like to do. You want to see the pages, you want to feel the pages.”

Gilbert says she included a photo of her hands next to Lehu and Westheimer’s on the book. She calls this a “milestone” because she and Westheimer met “almost every week” to work on the book.

The author adds that Westheimer – whom she first met in the summer of 2023 when she interviewed her for the New York Times – preferred “depth rather than breadth” in her work, which is why the devotion she showed to this book towards the end of her life is particularly remarkable.

“This constant, consistent, almost weekly engagement with this book gave her purpose and joy. And I felt so honored to be a part of it with her,” says Gilbert, noting that she and Lehu will now “get the book over the finish line.”

Although Westheimer was a cultural icon and known for her frank, practical advice on sex, her life experiences made her uniquely suited to help the public solve the problem of loneliness.

Born in Germany in 1928, she described herself as a “Holocaust orphan” because she had lost her entire family in World War II. She survived because her mother and grandmother put her on a “Kindertransport” to Switzerland as part of the organized effort to help thousands of Jewish children escape Germany during the war.

Gilbert describes The joy of connections as “anchored by Dr. Ruth’s life” and experiences with loneliness, especially as a child.

“There are 100 ways to combat loneliness that we can all take to heart and implement right now,” says Gilbert. “What inspired me so much about Dr. Ruth is that she was always about speed, always about action. And that’s why this book is meant to be absorbed and then applied immediately.”

Through her work, Westheimer wanted to help all marginalized and isolated communities feel connected, Gilbert tells PEOPLE. Once she found a friendship, she stayed friends for life.

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As one of those lucky few, Gilbert says, Westheimer paid “wonderful attention” to people.

“She radiated this light, she radiated this warmth to everyone around her, and I was just lucky to get a little bit of that.”

The joy of connections will be released on September 3rd and can now be pre-ordered wherever books are sold.