Conan O’Brien has been hit by double heartbreak after losing both of his parents just three days apart.
The beloved talk show host’s father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, died on Monday, December 9, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, per The Boston Globe. He was 95. Then, just three days later, Conan’s mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, passed away on Thursday, December 12, also at their home. She was 92.
Conan and his brother, Justin, spoke to the Globe about their parents, with the former crediting his father with instilling in him a love of comedy.
“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 recalled. “He was often the funniest guy in the room. And when he would laugh, his whole body would convulse and he would almost hug himself.”
Ruth and Dr. Thomas O’Brien; Legacy.com
Thomas was a renowned scientist who served as the first director of the division of infectious diseases at what is now Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His work included research into the unintended consequences of antibiotics, which he discovered can give rise to drug-resistant superbugs when used imprecisely.
“Science has said there’s no such thing as perpetual motion, but my father was proof that that was wrong,” Conan told the Globe. “My father was in constant motion. And he was interested in everything — absolutely everything.”
He added, “For the rest of my time on earth I will be hearing from people who want to talk with me about my dad. 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.’”
Ruth, meanwhile, was an attorney who served as a law clerk for Raymond Wilkins, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, before being named the second woman partner at Ropes & Gray law firm in Boston in 1978. She continued to work there until her retirement in 1996.
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Conan’s brother Justin said their mother “loved making connections with people” and particularly enjoyed attending reunions.
A funeral mass for both Thomas and Ruth is scheduled to be held in Boston on Wednesday, December 18.
The news of Conan’s parents’ passing comes as the former late-night host prepares to host the Oscars on March 2, 2025. It will mark his first time hosting the prestigious ceremony.
“America demanded it, and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” Conan said in a video announcement in November.
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