Michael Lerner was born on 11 February 1943 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was married to Cat Zavis, Deborah Kohn, Cat Zavis, Nan Fink and Nan Fink. He died on 28 August 2024 in Berkeley, California, USA.
He majored in philosophy at Columbia University, which he attended while studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He received a PhD in social and clinical psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley.
