WASHINGTON — Conan O’Brien has lost both his father and mother in the same week.
Dr. Thomas O’Brien’s death on Monday at the age of 95 came after his “health had been failing,” according to the Boston Globe.
His wife, Ruth O’Brien, died just three days later on Thursday at the age of 92, according to an obituary shared by the Bell-O’Dea Funeral Home in Brookline, Mass.
The couple were married for 66 years and had six children, including comedian Conan O’Brien.
Earlier this week, the former “Tonight Show” host told the Boston Globe that his father “was in constant motion. And he was interested in everything – absolutely everything.”
“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,” O’Brien added.
Conan O’Brien’s parents die within just days of each other https://t.co/UffctXjLl0pic.twitter.com/vBwskpabm8
— New York Post (@nypost) December 13, 2024
Thomas served as the first director of the infectious diseases division at what is now Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Ruth attended Yale Law School, where she was just one of only four women in her class, according to her obituary. She went on to be a law clerk for the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1956-1957 and was a real estate attorney at the law firm Ropes & Gray in Boston. In 1978, she became just the second woman to be a partner at the firm.
In addition to Conan, the couple is also survived by their sons Neal, Luke and Justin, and daughters Kate and Jane, along with nine grandchildren.
A funeral mass for the couple is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 18.