Death is an inescapable part of the human story. We've always written about it; over time, the medium has changed.
For about a week now, NPR host Scott Simon has been at his mother's side, joking and singing songs with her as her condition deteriorated in the ICU. Simon has been livetweeting the whole thing.
Maybe that sounds creepy. And yet, the NPR Weekend Edition host has managed to weave in and out of his mother's closing chapters with just the right touch of wit, wisdom, and helplessness, inviting readers in just enough to make the personal feel universal (while taking the occasional jab at hospital food).
His mother, Patricia Lyons Simon Newman, passed away late Monday night. Here's a small portion of Simon's uniquely 21st-century tribute to his mother:
I am not sure my mother understands Twitter or why I tell her millions of people love her--but she says she's ver touched.
