When a Parent Dies

How to Cope With Grief

Legacy offers advice from leading experts, helpful information related to loss, and to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. , find comfort and inspiration, and begin to heal.

Find Comfort in Legacy's Grief Support Groups

The loss of a loved one can turn your world upside down in an instant and leave you feeling isolated from the world at large, but you are not alone. In , you’ll find help from others who have stood where you are standing right now. Our private Facebook groups offer a safe space to share your bereavement and connect with others experiencing the same kind of loss you are.

The Sixth Stage of Grief: 'Finding Meaning' by David Kessler

The leading grief expert's new book goes beyond the five stages.

8 Helpful Child Grief Awareness Resources

Grief can bring adults to their knees. Imagine then the struggle of the who will experience the death of a parent before they graduate high school. That number doesn't include those who experience the death of a close family member or friend.

Meet the CNN Hero who's helping kids through their grief

Mary Robinson's Imagine provides grief support for children whose loved ones have died.

Making Amends: Last Chance for Mom's Love

Mom’s sobs were operatic as she walked in the front door, accompanied by her brother-in-law. “That thing wasn’t Harry,” she said. She meant my Dad’s body. 

What is a Testamentary Trust and Do I Need One?

A testamentary trust is a trust that does not go into effect until the person who created the trust dies. The creator of the trust is called the grantor. Typically, the testamentary trust is written into a will to create a trust for minor children.  The will is in effect after it is created, but the testamentary trust within is not valid until the maker of the will dies.

Estela O’Brien (2019), Soledad O’Brien’s mother

Estela O’Brien was the mother of television journalist Soledad O’Brien. She passed away just 40 days after Soledad’s father. Soledad shared details of her mother’s life in a touching Instagram post. Estela was an immigrant from a poor Cuban family who left Fidel Castro’s regime to come to America for an education. She attended college and married O’Brien’s father, an interracial marriage at a time when it was still illegal. She became a teacher who taught at the high school that Soledad attended. Estela and her husband put all six of their children through college. Soledad called her mom “a pretty remarkable lady.”

A Conversation About Grieving with Director Shawn Snyder

The director of new feature film "To Dust" shares insights on death and grieving.

Vernita Lee (1935–2018), Oprah Winfrey’s mother

Vernita Lee, Oprah Winfrey’s mother, has died at the age of 83, according to multiple news sources. She died on Thanksgiving Day.

Talk When You're Ready: SLAP'D's Advice for Teens Grieving the Loss of a Parent

The loss of a parent affects every teen differently.

The Power of Community: Join Legacy's "Loss of a Parent" Group on Facebook

Because we believe in the power of community, we're bringing grief support spaces to Facebook.

Lessons From My Dad

My father died when I was 11. Here's what I learned.

Mom's Old Handwritten Recipes

Long before the internet became a storage center for any recipe you could ever wish to cook, moms had a different system for finding the recipes they’d use to feed their families. They wrote them down on recipe cards and stored them by the hundreds in recipe boxes and binders.

A Story of Grief and Clothes

How small, intimate memories of our loved ones live on.

Grief After a Long Goodbye

Just because we know a loved one is dying doesn’t mean we are prepared for the loss.

Caring for a Terminally Ill Loved One: First Take Care of Yourself

Self-care takes a back seat when we care for dying loved ones. But it's one of the most important considerations in an emotionally and physically harrowing time.

Turning Grief Into Purpose

While grieving a loss, you learn a lot about what helps or hampers healing. Meet two remarkable women who turned personal loss into an external source of comfort.

The Story Behind the Year's Funniest Obituary

When the recently went viral, we wanted to learn more about the story behind the words. We talked to Ziegler's family members and found out how they worked together to create the perfect tribute to their father.

Eight Surprising Things You May Feel After a Loved One's Death

We've all heard of the five stages of grief, but there's no set limit on how many emotions we'll feel.

Family Reorganization After a Death

Whenever a family member dies, there is a process that a healthy family undergoes in response to the loss of one of its own. That process is called “role reorganization.”

Grieving Out Loud

What's the true cost of hiding your grief? Rachel Stephenson revisits her TED Talk on why we should break the silence.

Alzheimer's Brings Early Grieving

There are so many different types of grief, and each brings its own unique pain and challenges. Grieving the death of a parent is much different from grieving the loss of a child, which is much different from grieving the loss of a spouse … the list continues. But one type of grief we don’t always talk about is the grief that begins before a death. Any long-term illness might lead to this – the horrible knowledge that death is coming inevitably, and soon – but Alzheimer’s disease brings a special set of circumstances that causes a unique and early grief for anyone caring for an affected loved one.

Planning a wedding without your mom

Every day, I think about my mom. Sometimes I’ll look in the mirror and see a resemblance — the same high cheekbones, the same thin lips. Or I’ll hear a song she liked and start singing along to it. “Love shack, baby love shack!” Other times I’ll see material things that remind me of her — her old eyelash curler, which I admittedly still keep in my makeup bag. The crosstitch she made that’s now hanging in my home office. The small sterling silver bracelet she once wore that I now wear every day.

Letters Reach Family After Husband's Death

Mitchell Whisenhunt left dozens of letters for his wife and daughter to help them through their grief after his death.

Parents' Touching Last Dances

Weddings are times for great happiness, but sometimes that joy becomes bittersweet, as it did recently for two California families.

Mothers' Final Gifts to Their Children

A mother's instinct to protect her children is a force of nature.

Camp Lifts Spirits for Children of Dead Soldiers

The WOLF Camp provides a safe space for children with a unique shared experience.

Last Notes to His Loved Ones

David Welch's last days were spent reaching out to the family he'd never see again.

XOXO, Signed with Love

While more and more people are penning their own obituaries these days, it’s difficult to imagine doing it on, well, deadline.

Why Some Families Don't Stick Together After the Death of a Loved One

Family conflict after a loss is common. Here are some of the reasons why.

A Trust Fund of Love

As Laura Jean Gautney Black fought breast cancer, she wrote a series of letters to her children.

Do I Have to Cry To Grieve?

Crying is not a measure of your sadness nor proof of your grief.