Premature Obituary

If you were surfing the Web last spring, you might have discovered what no one else knew — that a number of world-famous VIPs had succumbed to death. CNN accidentally posted premature death notices, obits they keep on file for quick retrieval. Isaiah has a different problem: His countrymen have already written themselves off as good as dead.

When comedian and centenarian Bob Hope died last summer, notable voices from around the country and from all walks of life collectively paused to say, “Thanks for the memories.”

Some of the observations were tinged with humor, as Hope himself expected they would be. Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, wryly noted that The New York Times had used an obituary to mark the occasion of Hope’s passing that was written by reporter Vincent Canby, who himself had died in 2000!

Hope was also the subject of a notorious premature obituary in 1989 when the Associated Press unintentionally published a notice of his death. The obituary landed in the hands of a U.S. Congressman who announced the news to the entire House of Representatives.

Then, only months before Hope actually expired, his obituary was posted by CNN, along with others, when the password protection was disabled on the Web site. Most major news organizations keep pre-written obituaries for famous people on file - just in case. These...