Obit writer calls time on the New York Times

Obit writer calls time on the New York Times

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norman lebrecht

February 28, 2018

After laying more than 1,200 people to rest, Margalit Fox, 56, is leaving the paper, colleagues have reported.

 

 

Comments

  • R. Brite says:

    She’ll be greatly missed. She has such a distinctive voice as a writer – even if (as was often the case) I had not paid attention to the byline, within a few paragraphs it was generally clear that I was reading a Fox obit. This one from last year, about violinist Paul Zukofsky and his troubled career, is a good example: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/arts/music/paul-zukofsky-dead-virtuoso-violinist-literary-executor.html

  • Petros Linardos says:

    She won’t be missed yet. Many obituaries are prepared ahead of time and only finalized when the time comes. Sometimes obituaries appear after the obituarists’ death.

    Mr. Lebrecht, you sometimes turn up very thoughtful obituaries. Lorin Maazel’s is a good example. Is it appropriate to ask whether you work on any of them ahead of time?

  • Van says:

    Ms. Fox was trained as a cellist so her obits of departed musicians are always great to read. She’s an all around great obit writer. She’s one of the best. Will miss her writing a lot. Hope she puts together an anthology soon.

  • Angry New Yorker says:

    The best writer at the New York Times is leaving…Oh bugger…I saw hints of this on Twitter yesterday, but I misinterpreted them and thought she had died. So, instead of relaxing with film, I spent the better part of last night reading through some of her best obits, and relieved at my utter stupidity after checking (OH THANK YOU), WIKI. APOLOGIES to MS. FOX on my source!

    An amazing writer….

  • kaa12840 says:

    This is really sad news; I always look forward to her obituaries, so sympathetic and always has an interesting “angle” on the deceased career or life. I didn’t know she was a musician but it clearly shows in her obits of musicians. She wrote a marvelous obituary on my wife that I and all of our friends cherish.

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