Conan O’Brien’s parents die three days apart at home in Massachusetts

Conan O’Brien and his siblings mourn their parents, who died just three days apart.

Dr. Thomas O’Brien, the podcaster and television host’s father, died at home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on December 9 at the age of 95, according to his obituary. His wife of 66 years, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, died at their home on December 12 at the age of 92, according to The Boston Globe.

According to The Boston Globe, Thomas O’Brien was known as a co-founder of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, which created databases to help doctors respond to areas where drug-resistant strains of bacteria may be spreading.

The Harvard Medical School graduate was also director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at what is now Brigham and Women’s Hospital, according to his obituary.

According to the firm, Ruth Reardon O’Brien was a graduate of Yale Law School and a pioneering partner at the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray. According to the law firm, she became the second female partner in the firm’s history in 1978, after being away for 10 years to raise her children and retiring in 1996.

According to The Boston Globe, Ruth Reardon O’Brien met her husband through her brothers, who were his classmates at Holy Cross. They married in 1958 and had six children – four boys and two girls.

Thomas O’Brien was also a big fan of comedy. Conan O’Brien, 61, and his siblings were introduced to the work of legends like Jack Benny, Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers through their father, according to The Boston Globe.

Conan O’Brien’s father also had a living presence.

“He was often the funniest guy in the room,” Conan O’Brien told the outlet. “And when he laughed, his whole body twitched and he almost hugged himself.”

“I’ve never met anyone like him, and he happens to be my father,” Conan O’Brien added. “If I happened to meet him in a hotel lobby, I’d be like, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ “He’s the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”