In this episode, Robyn Curnow reflects on her years writing obituaries for global giants – from Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II and Muhammad Ali – and why she always found them strangely uplifting.
Because an obituary isn’t really about death. It’s about shape. It’s about distilling a messy, complicated life into its through-line: courage, ambition, service, love.
From historic state funerals to the handwritten obituary of a Southern raconteur who framed his own ending, this episode explores why America loves obituaries – and what they reveal about reinvention, meritocracy and the stories we tell about ourselves.
In an age of constant self-broadcasting, the obituary may be the most honest genre left.
And whether we like it or not, we’re all writing our own.