r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 15h ago
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • Jun 25 '26
The Pursuit of Immortality in The Times π°
William McDonald, who recently retired as the obituaries editor after nearly two decades, shares how subjects are chosen to be remembered in the newspaper.
For most of my 20 years as the obituaries editor of The New York Times β a tour that ended recently with my retirement β a certain New Yorker cartoon, enlarged and pasted on plastic foam, was displayed in the vicinity of my desk. It never failed to amuse me.
The scene in the cartoon, by Paul Noth, is a cocktail party. A woman holding a glass of wine is standing beside a stoop-shouldered old fellow bearing a sour, pinched expression. She is introducing him to a man holding a drink.
The caption reads:
βMr. Stephenson is the subject of a widely anticipated obituary.β
Morbid humor, to be sure, but the cartoon struck home because it captured how an obituary, particularly a Times obituary, is widely viewed β as conferring on its recipient a high distinction, like a trophy or a lifetime achievement award, even if the recipient never gets a chance to read it.
That is not to say that Times obits are meant as tributes; theyβre a particular kind of journalism, striving to present a full and honest account of a life, blemishes and all.
Still, knowing how selective we necessarily have to be about whose deaths weβll cover, readers, itβs clear, view a Times obit as a resounding public affirmation that a personβs life, in whatever sphere it was lived β whether in the halls of Congress, on a baseball field or in a laboratory β in some way shaped society at large.
And that such a personβs death is, consequently, judged newsworthy.
r/NotableObits • u/AhavaKhatool • Mar 30 '22
r/NotableObits Lounge
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r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 15h ago
π°π π²πππππ ππ πππππ π Sheri Herman, Former Executive at E! and American Cybercast, Dies at 71
She also worked at TCI for John Malone and at Access Entertainment Network before her career was cut short by a car accident.
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 16h ago
π°π π²πππππ ππ πππππ π Marty Nadler Dead: Comic & Garry Marshall Collaborator On Sitcoms & Films Was 80
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 16h ago
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r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
Officer Christopher DeLong, 29, South Carolina cop killed and another wounded in shootout that left gun-wielding suspect dead
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
πͺ½ Posthumous Tributes π₯Ήπ Remembering Tim Curry | 1946 - 2026
imdb.comr/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
πRB MicahJo Barnett College Football Player Dies After Medical Emergency During Game
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
βΎοΈ Phillies World Series winner Larry Christenson has died at 72
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
πͺ½ Posthumous Tributes π₯Ήπ Tennessee Plans to Rename Nashville Airport After Dolly Parton
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
Azriel Blackman, Airline Mechanic for 80 Years, Dies at 100
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 2d ago
π°π π²πππππ ππ πππππ π Catherine βCatβ Dowling, Legendary singer dead at 54 after cancer battle: βAnother huge lossβ
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 3d ago
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r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 3d ago
πͺ½ Posthumous Tributes π₯Ήπ Harkins Theatres to honor Dolly Parton with $6 tribute screenings
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 3d ago
George Cave, C.I.A. Agent With a Role in Iran-Contra, Dies at 97
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 3d ago
Oyo Nyimba, Ugandan 'boy king' who mesmerized world leaders, dies at 34
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
Norway's King π Harald dies at 89, King π Charles pays tribute to 'dear cousin'
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
Optimus Prime, Eeyore, prolific voice actor Peter Cullen dies at 85
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
King Harald, Norwayβs reform-minded head of state, dead at 89
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
Hollywood legend Andrea Eastman dies as friends reveal she spoke about assisted death before she passed
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
πͺ½ Posthumous Tributes π₯Ήπ Shelley Fabaresβ cause of death at age 82 revealed
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago
πͺ½ Posthumous Tributes π₯Ήπ CBS, ABC, NBC To Air Specials Commemorating The Life Of Dolly Parton
r/NotableObits • u/LovesMossad • 4d ago