TV and Movies

[depglass]

Like spouses and children.  Is this for privacy reasons?  Bob Saget, Dwayne Hickman, neither notice lists survivors.  

[kaydee50]

@depglass  In the NY Times the obit for DH does list his wives (3) and his children and the fact he had grandchildren.

Most of the obits I read in the NYT do mention next of kin.

[Carmie]

Normally, obits are written by the funeral director with info given to them by the survivors,  or by a family member.  You can put anything you want in them.

Some families list everyone related...even the goldfish, and every life achievement made. Other families keep it simple. It is their choice.

Probably not for wealthy celebrities, but for many people, they try to keep the costs down.  You are charged for each and every word that is printed. It costs hundreds of dollars or even well over $1000 if you live in or near a big city like NY, Chicago or LA.

My guess is that for people like Bob Saget, what you are reading is not an obit, but an article where the writer has no knowledge of his siblings or family members other than what is found on the internet.

[gnomie1]

Due to identity theft of the deceased and their family, it is now recommened that families should avoid public obituaries or keep them simple with little family information. Identity theft among the deceased is a huge problem and many jurisdictions allow the Executor to "Seal" a Will, which means it cannot be viewed by anyone without the necessary authorization.

Whenever an Estate comes into the office, we immediately contact the IRS and set up PIN requirements for any filing with the deceased social security number and we advise the family to monitor their credit reports for a minimum of two years after death.

In addition to identity theft, also after a death, survivors are slammed with telephone calls, emails, letters all in an attempt to scam the family and too many people fall victim. Unfortunately, there are too many people who appear to the survivors as providing much needed assistance but in actuality are up to no good.

With the use of social media, it is relatively easy to quickly notify others of a death without making it known to those who do not need to know.

[Kachina624]

@depglass   Is it possible you're reading "celebrity news" and not an official obituary?

[occasionalrain]

I would wish a woman's maiden name were included in the listing. Often, I haven't the married name of a former classmate, neighbor, or co-worker.  I don't care much about celebrity's relatives.

[Nightowlz]

Here in the newspaper they just put a little short Obit. with persons name, date of birth, death etc. 

If you want to pay to have it listed with all the information it's really expensive & most people don't want to pay the price since you can see that info on the Funeral Home's website.

[Meowingkitty]

In Arizona you don't even have to have an obit. My aunt and mother did not want one. They were both like why waste the money. The people who cared knew. That was good enough for them.

[Meowingkitty]

---

@occasionalrain wrote:

I would wish a woman's maiden name were included in the listing. Often, I haven't the married name of a former classmate, neighbor, or co-worker.  I don't care much about celebrity's relatives.

---

I would not want my maiden name in my obituary. I hate my maiden name. That name got buried many years ago when I got married never to surface again as long as I had control over it. In fact I don't even want an obit. I figure if you haven't cared enough to know my married name after all these years why bother. 

[shoesnbags]

Around here, obituaries tend to be long and detailed.  Next of kin are always listed.  But that's ordinary people.  Celebrities like Bob Saget are a whole other thing.  Families of famous people are often anxious to protect their own privacy.  Apples, oranges.