Since its founding in 1998, Legacy.com has become the top source of obituary information in the United States and beyond.

As the trusted obituary publishing partner for more than 10,000 local institutions including funeral homes, newspapers, and more, Legacy understands how important it is for obituaries and other news stories published on the internet to be reliable sources of accurate information.

There are two primary types of obituaries that appear on Legacy.com: news obituaries, and family obituaries.

What is a news obituary at Legacy?

News obituaries are journalistic reports noting recent deaths of public figures. They are researched and written by dedicated Legacy professionals and published directly on Legacy.com.

How does Legacy determine what news obituaries to write?

We monitor national and local news headlines daily, as well as reliable information sources such as local authorities, local funeral homes, and announcements by official representatives of notable people. Using these sources, we identify and select subjects we think readers will be interested in.

We welcome suggestions via this form.

How does Legacy verify its news obituaries?

Our reporters carefully research and check the facts that appear in our news obituaries with multiple verifiable sources.

Human editors review every Legacy news obituary for accuracy before publication.

If you believe there is a factual error in a Legacy news obituary, please click here to contact us.

What is a family obituary?

Family obituaries are paid announcements written by the families of the deceased or other closely related parties. This is a tradition in local community news publishing that goes back hundreds of years. You can submit a family obituary for publication on Legacy.com using our simple online submission system.

What other informational content does Legacy publish?

In addition to obituaries, Legacy also publishes editorial articles providing information about obituary writing, funeral planning, estate planning, sympathy etiquette, grief support, and other such topics that relate to the end-of-life experience.

Legacy’s experts: Obituaries, funerals & news

The team of experts who review Legacy’s editorial content includes:

News editor Linnea Crowther, a winner of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers’ annual “Obituary Writer of the Year” award

General manager John Heald, a fourth-generation licensed funeral director who has been helping families memorialize their loved ones for two decades

Senior content chief Stephen Segal, a multiple-award-winning local journalist and the co-host of Legacy’s “Immortalized” podcast

Several additional contributors review our daily headline news obituaries for editorial quality, including:

Contributing copyeditor Sheena Lester, an award-winning news editor honored by the Society of Professional Journalists

Contributing copyeditor Michi Trota, a five-time Hugo Award-winning nonfiction editor

Contributing writer Eric San Juan, the author of 12 books of nonfiction and a local journalist with 13 years news experience

To report a factual error in a published obituary, or to suggest a subject for a news obituary, please click here to contact us.