LOS ANGELES -- A boy who said he went to heaven and came back to earth now admits he made up the entire story.
Alex Malarkey, the boy who inspired the best-selling book, “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven,” admitted in a recent letter to the book's publisher he lied about going to heaven and visiting with angels.
Alex was in a coma for two months after a serious car crash in 2004. When Alex woke up, he gave detailed descriptions of meeting Jesus and the devil.
The best-selling Christian book was co-written by Malarkey, 6, and his dad, Kevin, who is a Christian therapist near Columbus. The book was published by Tyndale House in 2010.
But now, Alex, who is a quadriplegic, said none of it happened. Pulpit and Pen released the letter Alex sent to the book's publisher:
Lifeway issued a statement saying stores will be pulling the remaining copies of the book from stores.
As of January 16, the book was still available on Amazon.
Last April, Alex’s mother, Beth Malarkey, posted a statement on her blog critizing the book.
Beth Malarkey also said the book is not "Biblically sound" and her son's objections were often ignored.