Conan O'Brien faces double tragedy as his parents die just three days apart

BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS: Conan O’Brien’s family has been hit with two back-to-back tragedies as the comedian lost his mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, just three days after the death of his father, Dr Thomas Francis O’Brien.

Dr O’Brien, who was a towering figure in the field of medicine research on the dangers of antimicrobial resistance, breathed his last on Monday, December 9, in his Brookline home. He was 95, as reported by Legacy.

The second blow to the O’Brien family came just three days after Dr O’Brien’s wife of 66 years, Ruth died in their family home on Thursday, December 5, aged 92, per Bell O'Dea Funeral Home.

Dr Thomas Francis O’Brien was a towering figure in microbiology

Dr Thomas O’Brien, who was born on January 28, 1929, spent his early childhood in Millbury and later his family moved to Southbridge, per The Boston Globe.

In 1946, he graduated from Mary E Wells High School in Southbridge and later he attended the College of the Holy Cross and received a bachelor’s degree in classics in 1950. 

Four years later, he graduated from Harvard Medical School and did his residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital from 1954 to 1956. In 1956, he went overseas to Cambridge University, United Kingdom as a Mosley Traveling Fellow in Immunology. 

The famed immunologist later served as a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX (1957-59), and was a Research Fellow at the Department of Microbiology in Harvard Medical School from 1959 to 196. 

Dr O’Brien was a pioneer in creating a database that let doctors quickly respond to outbreaks of antibiotic resistance. He created a network of physicians, researchers, and technicians and used their observations to create a large database for the doctors to access. 

Dr John Stelling, his partner in directing and founding the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, said, “A lot of what he did was create a family,” before adding, “Everybody contributes their little bit, and their little bit in aggregate tells a lot about emerging threats in close to real time.”

Dr Daniel Kuritzkes, a professor at Harvard Medical School and chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said, “He was one of the very first people to call attention to the risks of antimicrobial resistance developing.”

Dr Kuritzkes further added that Dr O’Brien “was a wonderful person to have as a colleague and was extraordinarily modest, given his incredible accomplishments throughout his career.”

Conan O'Brien says his dad was 'the most interesting person I’ve ever met'

Dr Thomas O’Brien, who had a long married life with his wife Ruth, welcomed six children together. Thomas married Ruth in 1958 after meeting her through her brothers, who were his classmates.

His obituary reads he was the "loving father of Neal O'Brien of Brookline, MA, Luke O'Brien and his wife Ilse (Martin) O'Brien of Holliston, MA, Conan O'Brien and his wife Liza Powel O'Brien of Los Angeles, CA, Kate O'Brien of Boston, MA, Jane O'Brien of San Anselmo, CA, and Justin O'Brien and his wife Joanna Shea O'Brien of Winchester, MA.”

He was also a devoted grandfather to his nine grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Judith (Colognesi) O'Brien and fifteen nieces and nephews.

While he was a pioneering figure in the field of microbiology, he was a dedicated family man. His youngest son, Justin said that Dr O’Brien “loved making connections with people.”

“My mother once said she thought he enjoyed her reunions more than she did,” Justin said before adding, “He really loved meeting people and hearing their stories and getting to know them in a very meaningful way.”

Conan, who has now cemented his name as one of the most resolute comedians in Hollywood, said that his father - a fan of humor - made sure his children were well acquainted with the comedy classics. 

The talk show host shared, “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 added that anyone who only knew Dr O’Brien through his work “would think, ‘What a fascinating man,’” but “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.”

The NBC host further added that their father “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, before concluding, “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 Reardon was a legal mastermind

Conan’s mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, on the other hand, was a force to reckon with in the legal field.

According to her obituary, she was born on December 16, 1931, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was raised there.

She had been a resident of Brookline since 1963. Ruth was “a graduate of South High School, Worcester, MA (1949), Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY (1953), and Yale Law School, New Haven, CT (1956),” and was only four of the women students of her class.

After completing her education, she worked as a law clerk to The Honorable Raymond Wilkins, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1956-57), and a real estate attorney at the law firm Ropes & Gray in Boston (1957-58 and 1971-96). Later, she also became the second woman to be a partner at the firm in 1978. She retired in 1996.

A funeral mass will be held for the couple on Wednesday, December 18 in Chestnut Hill, Massachussets.

Internet tries to comfort Conan O'Brien

The late show host and comedian was understandably at loss trying to cope with the devastating loss of both his parents. 

Online readers and fans of Conan rushed to send him strength and prayers as they hoped he would heal from the tragedy. 

Commenting on Conan's parents marriage of 66 years, a reader wrote: "Oh wow they must've lived an awesome life. 66 years of marriage now THAT is a testimony of what TRUE love, commitment, dedication is. RIP to his parents and just before Christmas 😭"

Another shared, "What a blessing to have such amazing and clearly loving people as your parents were. May their memory continue to guide you and bring always a smile to your face."

One wrote, "To have such a love as this... Passing within days of each other, so beautiful. Heartbreaking for the family but I'm sure they understand it. Love you Conan!!!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online