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The late night comedian Conan O’Brien has been left devastated after his parents, who were married for 66 years, died just three days apart from one another.

Conan’s Parents Pass Away

Dr. Thomas O’Brien died on Monday, December 9 at the age of 95 after “his health had been failing.” Days later, his beloved wife Ruth Reardon O’Brien died “peacefully” on Thursday, December 12 at the age of 92.

Thomas and Ruth were the proud parents of six children. Conan, 61, talked about his father after his death, crediting him with giving him his love for standup comedy. Thomas particularly loved classic comedians like Jack Benny, Charlie Chaplin, and the Marx Brothers.

“The loudest I’ve ever heard anybody laugh was sitting next to him in a theater watching Peter Sellers in a Pink Panther movie,” Conan told The Boston Globe. “[My dad] was often the funniest guy in the room. And when he would laugh, his whole body would convulse and he would almost hug himself.”

Thomas’ Career

Thomas spent 60 years working at Brigham and Women’s and Harvard Medical School where he was an associate professor. He retired in 2019, when he was 90 years-old. At this facility, Thomas was the first director of the infectious diseases division. Indeed, he was renowned for his work in antimicrobial drug resistance research.

“Science has said there’s no such thing as perpetual motion, but my father was proof that that was wrong,” Conan continued. “My father was in constant motion. And he was interested in everything — absolutely everything. [He] had a voracious appetite for ideas and people and the crazy variety and irony of life. He wanted to go everywhere, meet everybody, see everything, taste everything.”

“For the rest of my time on earth I will be hearing from people who want to talk with me about my dad,” he added. “I’ve never met anyone like him, and he happens to be my father. If I met him randomly in a hotel lobby, I’d think, ‘Who the hell is this guy? He’s the most interesting person I’ve ever met.’”

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Ruth’s Career

As for Ruth, she attended Yale Law School as one of just four women in her class. She later became a law clerk on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Later, she worked as a real estate attorney at the law firm of Ropes & Gray in Boston. Ruth also became the second female partner at this firm ever in 1978. Meanwhile, in 2017, Ruth was the second recipient of the iRelaunch Pioneering Relauncher Award.

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Thomas And Ruth

Thomas and Ruth met through her brothers, who were in his class at school. The couple married in 1958. Aside from Conan, they are survived by sons Justin, Neal, and Luke, and daughters Kate and Jane. They are also survived by nine grandchildren.

Thomas and Ruth will have a joint funeral on Wednesday, December 18 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They will then be laid to rest together.

This is clearly a very difficult time for Conan and the entire O’Brien family. Please join us in saying a prayer for them.