Jezebel: Obits

Times Obit Writers Far Prefer Dudes' Deaths

The NYTPicker — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:06:00 EDT

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Still upset about that lack of gender equality in book reviews? Consider this more frightening and fundamental imbalance: so far in the month of August, the NYT has published 78 obituaries. And only six of them were for women. More »

Nelson Mandela's Great Granddaughter Killed After World Cup Concert

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:20:00 EDT

Very sad: Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car accident on Friday. According to reports, the driver of the car was drunk and lost control of the car after departing from a World Cup concert. [CBS, NYT] More »

In Praise Of Louise Bourgeois

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:20:00 EDT

As previously mentioned, Louise Bourgeois died last week. She was one of the most influential sculptors on the art scene, and, for reasons I will explain, my favorite (once) living artist. More »

R.I.P. Louise Bourgeois

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:40:00 EDT

French-born artist Louise Bourgeois died on Monday at the age of 98. Bourgeois was best known for her anatomically-themed sculptures, which depicted dismembered parts of the human body in nightmarishly gorgeous distortions. The cause of death was heart failure. [NYT] More »

Want To Live To 115? Keep Up With YouTube

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:20:00 EDT

Kama Chinen, the world's oldest living person, has reportedly died a week before her her 115th birthday. Want to be the next Chinen? Keeping up on pop culture is vital, according to centenarians, as are iPods and YouTube. [CBS, Reuters] More »

R.I.P. Carolyn Rodgers • Treat Your Pimples With Breast Milk

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EDT

• Carolyn Rodgers, a poet and leading member of the Black Arts Movement, died on April 2. "What made her important was her unique use of language and her descriptions of our community," said Haki Madhubuti. He continues: More »

David Brown, Husband Of Helen Gurley Brown, Dies At 93

Irin Carmon — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:20:00 EST

The producer of films such as Jaws, Driving Miss Daisy, and Cocoon, and the author of five books. he and Gurley were married over 50 years. He suggested she write Sex And The Single Girl and wrote Cosmo coverlines. [Variety] More »

Beams Of Heaven

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EDT

Gospel legend Marie Knight passed away Sunday at the age of 84. Knight first came to fame in the 1940s, while touring with Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The interview (left) is from the release of Knight's last album in 2007. [WWLTV] More »

R.I.P. Honoré Sharrer

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:20:00 EDT

American realist artist Honoré Sharrer has died at 88. Sharrer is best known for her 1940's depictions of the working class, but her more recent work often focused on women's roles. [NYT] More »

R.I.P. Mary Printz

Sadie Stein — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:40:00 EST

Mary Printz, a Manhattan answering service operator whose adventures dealing with celebrity clients' crises became the basis of the 1956 musical Bells are Ringing (left), has died at 85. [NYT] More »

'First Lady Of Star Trek,' Majel Roddenberry, Dead At 76

Maria — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:30:00 EST

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Majel Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, died of leukemia on Thursday at the age of 76. But don't think Roddenberry was your typical Hollywood wife. More »

Odetta, "Queen Of American Folk Music," Dead At 77

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Odetta, the singer whom Rosa Parks adored and Martin Luther King Jr. called the queen of American folk music, died yesterday at the age of 77. She was, by all accounts, a legend, with a powerful voice, and the prison songs and work songs of the Deep South shaped her life. Odetta sang at the march on Washington in August of 1963. Her song that day was "O Freedom," dating to slavery days. From The New York Times: More »

Grateful Dead: Death As A Passport To Celebrity

Sadie Stein — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST

A scholar is now making the case that "the modern obsession with celebrity" started with an 18th century interest in obituaries. If by "obsession" she means "morbid curiosity" and by "celebrity," "notoriety," than maybe. Either way, it's clear that we've always had a sick fascination with other people's antics — and their deaths. More »

R.I.P.

Sadie Stein — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:20:00 EDT

Just headed over to Obit Magazine, to get the latest on Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He's dead, yes, but that's the point: this site, founded by architects Bob and Barbara Hillier, is where we get our daily updates on everyone who's, ahem, passed, plus anything else kick-related that you might fancy: cartoons, essays, videos and the gloriously addictive "died on the same day" feature. Sounds morbid, but the site's so smart and fun, it really just makes you feel...philosophical. And okay, kind of mortal. [Obit Magazine] More »

Britney's Not Crazy. She's Just On Deadline.

amparry — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:10:34 EDT

A new study says that women are more stressed than men. We really don't have time to be reading and writing about studies like this because we totally have a big Powerpoint presentation to get and we are, like, about to pull our hair okay? Gawd! [Feminist.org]

Mr. Winehouse Woulda Said, "No, No, No."

amparry — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EDT

Apparently, many men are still following that archaic, women-as-property tradition of asking their future-father-in-laws for "permission' to marry their girlfriends. Something tells us Amy Winehouse's partner-in-crack-addiction, Blake Fielder-Civil, did not. [Salon]

Age Is But A Number For Cougars And Their Prey

amparry — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT

Older women, younger men, can it work? CNN investigates the truly tired topic of $500K-worth-of-plastic-surgery-cougars and the men who love them. [CNN]

Will Britney Grovel for America's Forgiveness? Should She?

amparry — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:00:00 EDT

Rumors are flying that Britney Spears might appear on Sunday's Emmy Awards to apologize for her performance at the VMAs. WTF? What does she have to apologize for? She gave a shitty performance, she didn't go on a racist tirade or run over a crowd of schoolchildren. Britney, babe, don't let those assholes convince you to humiliate yourself even more for their ratings pleasure. Go home, take a shower, and play with your kids. [US Weekly]

Pregnant And Smoking? You're Probably Depressed... Or Famous

amparry — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT

Catherine Zeta Jones is not alone! More than one in ten pregnant women smoke, reports the AP (via MSNBC), and research suggests that many of those women suffer from depression, making quitting even more difficult. A Columbia University epidemiologist, tracked more than 1,500 pregnant women, and "22 percent smoked at some point during pregnancy" with about 12 percent classified as nicotine-dependent. [MSNBC]