Prilleltensky's legacy has changed and can still change how we promote well-being in daily life and policy.

His legacy encourages us to focus on bottom-up community interventions, where more voices are included.

His legacy reminds us that we need to align with human values if we want the promotion of well-being to work.

May 7, 2026. I was finding my way into the crowds at Dublin Airport, rushed by the weight of the kilted bag in my hurt hand and the pace of the passersby. As I checked my phone to trace the gate number, a text message poured freezing water into my heart: “Dear friend! I have sad news! Isaac P passed away yesterday,” said Ottar Ness.

Isaac Prilleltensky held a guest professorship position at NTNU, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, my alma mater, and the institution where I had just returned to work part-time, highly motivated to continue my work and mentorship with him and Ottar. I knew he was unwell, yet the resilient tone in our last email made me fall into the fallacy that all those whom we admire are immortal. And they are, somehow; may their legacy stay alive in us.

Isaac changed the lives and work of academics worldwide by challenging us to comprehend well-being in the light of power dynamics and social justice. For instance, he encouraged well-being researchers to focus on SPEC—strengths, prevention, empowerment, and community change[1]—transforming how well-being interventions are designed, evaluated, and translated into policy. In collaboration with NTNU WellFare, his ideas even inspired the World Health Organization's work on well-being economies[2].

Whether you have heard of Isaac........

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