Conan O’Brien’s parents, Dr. Thomas O’Brien and Ruth Reardon O’Brien, passed away just three days apart. Thomas was 95, and Ruth was 92.
Thomas passed away on Monday after experiencing declining health. Ruth followed on Thursday, passing away at their home in Brookline, Massachusetts, as noted in an obituary shared by the Bell-O’Dea Funeral Home.
Born on January 28, 1929, in Worcester, Massachusetts, Thomas graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1954, earning his M.D. cum laude on a full scholarship.
Over a distinguished career spanning more than 60 years, he became a renowned figure in antimicrobial drug resistance research. He was the inaugural director of the infectious diseases division at what is now Brigham and Women’s Hospital and also served as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
Ruth was born on December 16, 1931, in Worcester, Massachusetts. A trailblazer for women in law, she graduated from Yale Law School in 1957, where she was one of only four women in her class and was elected vice president of the student government.
Conan O’Brien (Photo: Shutterstock)
Ruth began her career as a law clerk for Chief Justice Raymond Wilkins of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1956–1957. She later practiced as a real estate attorney at the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, becoming the second woman to be named partner there in 1978.
The couple met through Ruth’s brothers and married in 1958. Together, they raised six children, including Conan.
Reflecting on his father, the former late-night talk show host told that Thomas “was often the funniest guy in the room.”
He added, “When he would laugh, his whole body would convulse, and he would almost hug himself.” Conan also praised his father’s intellectual curiosity, saying, “He had a voracious appetite for ideas and people and the crazy variety and irony of life. He wanted to go everywhere, meet everybody, see everything, taste everything.”
Thomas and Ruth leave behind a large and loving family, including their sons Justin, Neal, and Luke; daughters Kate and Jane; and nine grandchildren.
