 For the years 2012 and 2013 Myers was the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by appointment of the Library of Congress, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education.During his time as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Myers toured the United States advocating reading and used the slogan "Reading is Not Optional" to inspire teens to read.On July 1, 2014, Myers died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Midtown Manhattan after a brief illness.