Sons’ brutally honest and touching tribute to their late mother goes global: ‘Mum grew great dope’

Two Sydney sons have made headlines around the world for their brutally honest but heartfelt tribute to their late mother.

After Jennifer Ann Kelly, 88, died on Monday last week, her sons Sean and Chris Kelly wrote a death notice which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sydney sons’ newspaper notice goes viral.

“Farewell Jennie Kelly, our wild and wayward mother,” the notice read.

“Mum grew great dope, never wanted to leave a party and gave up champagne or gin frequently, but never simultaneously.”

They wrote that their mother refused to say “passed” when someone died, believed exposing youth to religion was a form of child abuse, and said they spent most of their lives “compensating for our upbringing” — but that her rare attempts at “responsible” parenting or grandparenting were always touching.

Sean and Chris ended the notice: “News on what’s next to follow. Bring a shovel.”

The notice’s good-humoured grief and honesty garnered global attention and was shared online all over the world — including in British outlet The Independent and US People Magazine.

Sean Kelly told 7NEWS the unconventional obituary was a first for him.

“I’d never done a death notice, I’d never really looked at them,” he said.

“I swear I spent less than four minutes on that.”

Sean said the classifieds salesman was not even sure he would be allowed to publish the notice and had to check with his boss for approval.

“The next thing I knew, the day after, someone said ‘I think we heard someone on the radio talking about your mother this morning’,” he said.

“She would say that she was mortified, but all my friends tell me she would be absolutely delighted at the attention.”