OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - A spiritual leader in the Omaha community has passed away.
Church of the Living God Temple 33 announced on Facebook that Bishop Robert D. Tyler died on December 30.
"Church members all over the brotherhood join the members of Temple 33 in mourning his loss," the posting read.
When Omaha was dealing with major gang problems in the 1980s, Tyler started working with John Foster and Eddie Staton. They were all determined to be a force behind change and created MAD DADS in 1989.
Their group caught the attention of President George H.W. Bush and his Thousand Points of Light program.
"We grabbed the attention of the White House," Tyler told 3 News Now in 2018. "[Bush] spoke about the magnificent and wonderful thing happening in Omaha because you have the beginning of a volunteer army of MAD DADS who had enough."
MAD DADS now has chapters around the country in places like Pittsburgh and Minnesota.
"Bishop Tyler was respected as one of the country's strongest and most knowledgeable experts on drugs and gang violence and his wisdom will be sorely missed by everyone that sought him out for guidance," MAD DADS of Pittsburgh wrote on Facebook.
The church didn't announce Tyler's cause of death.
The church said that a statement from the family along with arrangements would be announced at a later time.
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