Is "died suddenly" a euphemism for suicide?

[Anonymous]

I am trying to connect some dots with family illnesses and DNA analysis. Obits have been a great source of information about morbidity. However, three young people have "died suddenly at home" rather than a named illness or accident. There is no one left alive who was old enough to really know the details and you have to wait a century for death certificates beyond immediate family. Someone suggested "died suddenly" might have been used rather than suicide. Do newspapers always report suicides?

[Anonymous]

I think it sometimes means suicide, but it can mean heart attack, or the person who wrote the obituary was unable to get the cause of death. It might be a drug overdose or some other type of accident. You really don't know until you see the actual death certificate.

[Anonymous]

It could be that, or heart attack, or car accident, or overdose. Obituaries used to not list a lot of details at all.

[Anonymous]

Not sure this was always the case, but currently families pay to put an obituary in the paper, and write it themselves. It's not so much a case of the newspaper reporting it, if it's an obituary, but what the family chooses to put down.

This at least was the case when my dad died a few years ago, and when my mom died 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

My dad died suddenly of a heart attack. He was completely healthy otherwise. It was completely out of the blue and while on vacation.

[Anonymous]

Okay, thanks! I'm relieved that they aren't necessarily suicides.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, it really could be any number of things... suddenly just mostly means "unexpectedly" in obits.

I've left written, specific instructions (DH and I both have our wills/POAs/etc with a packet of vital info including our final wishes) to include a specific cause of death in my obit. I hate the vagueness in obits!!

[Anonymous]

My husband's friend stopped breathing and died in his sleep.

[Anonymous]

My BIL died from a brain tumor.

[Anonymous]

No. Died suddenly means just that - an unexpected death, usually someone who was or seemed healthy and youngish. No someone who is very old or has been battling some disease for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have said, it really could be any number of things... suddenly just mostly means "unexpectedly" in obits.

I've left written, specific instructions (DH and I both have our wills/POAs/etc with a packet of vital info including our final wishes) to include a specific cause of death in my obit. I hate the vagueness in obits!!

The cause of death might not be known when the obit is published, pending autopsy results which can take a long time. Especially if the person is young and dies suddenly.

[Anonymous]

A friend from HS recently died from a heroine overdose. His parents put "died suddenly" in his obit.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes. I know of several "died suddenly" obits

The causes were suicide, overdose, car accident, heart attack, stroke, and unkown cause

[Anonymous]

I have three friends from high school (mid-30s now) whose families used this in cases of overdose. Makes you appreciate your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, thanks! I'm relieved that they aren't necessarily suicides.

Often times suicides aren't even in the obits.

I've had a couple of elementary school classmates who died between the 5th and 10th reunions for high school. No obituary listed at all for either. The mom of one runs a "in memory of" ad sometimes on his birthday. The other went to a different h.s. and his name is listed in the "In memoriam" page on the website. I assume in both cases it's been suicide. Two other classmates died b/f the 10--one of heart attack (he had a heart condition and was obese); the other of cancer. Another classmate from college died young in a car accident.

There are many ways to die young that aren't genetic or suicide.