Conan O’Brien mourns the loss of both parents: Mother Ruth dies just days after father’s passing

Conan O’Brien’s mother has passed away just three days after his father died.

The 61-year-old TV host was left devastated after his dad Thomas O’Brien died on Monday aged 95. He was dealt a double blow on Thursday when his mother Ruth Reardon O’Brien died at her home in Brookline, Massachusetts aged 92.

The news was confirmed in an obituary for Ruth, which read: “O’Brien, Ruth Reardon of Brookline passed away peacefully on December 12th, 2024, at age 92. Beloved wife of sixty-six years to Thomas Francis O’Brien MD, who passed away on December 9th, 2024.”

Conan paid tribute to his dad in an interview with the Boston Globe which was published on Thursday, saying: “Science has said there’s no such thing as perpetual motion, but my father was proof that that was wrong.

“My father was in constant motion. And he was interested in everything — absolutely everything … The loudest I’ve ever heard anybody laugh was sitting next to him in a theatre watching Peter Sellers in a Pink Panther movie … He was often the funniest guy in the room. And when he would laugh, his whole body would convulse and he would almost hug himself.

“For the rest of my time on earth, I will be hearing from people who want to talk with me about my dad. I’ve never met anyone like him, and he happens to be my father.

“If I met him randomly in a hotel lobby, I’d think, ‘Who the hell is this guy? He’s the most interesting person I’ve ever met’.”

Conan’s parents will be remembered at a joint funeral in Boston on Wednesday.