Conan O’Brien’s Parents Pass Away Three Days Apart After 66 Years of Marriage

Dr. Thomas O’Brien, a trailblazing epidemiologist, and Ruth Reardon O’Brien, a pioneering attorney, died at their home in Brookline, Massachusetts, at ages 95 and 92, respectively.

Dr. Thomas O’Brien, a Harvard Medical School associate professor and expert in antimicrobial resistance, passed away on December 9, 2024, after a period of declining health.
Ruth Reardon O’Brien, one of the first women to become a partner at the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, died peacefully on December 12, 2024.
The couple, married in 1958, raised six children, including comedian Conan O’Brien, and were known for their remarkable careers and dedication to family life.
Conan credited his father with introducing him to classic comedy and described him as the most interesting and funniest person he had ever met.
A joint funeral mass for Thomas and Ruth O’Brien is scheduled for December 18, 2024, at St. Lawrence Church in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.