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The Portable Obituary: A Great Fall or Halloween Read
No matter what your station in society, everybody has to go sometime. Even the wealthy, powerful, and world-renowned must ultimately meet their Maker—though some have departed this life more ignobly than they might have wished.
From Mozart to rock and roll, which performers ended their lives on the wrong note?
What famous U.S. bridge is named after an explorer who was eaten by cannibals?
Everyone wants to hit the lottery, but does Lady Luck visit winners with deadly fangs?
Plus: Learn the real fate of Gilligan's Island castaways and all your favorite TV actors as well as famous writers, senators, saints, dictators, and philosophers, among many others.
Michael Largo, the man who illuminated readers on the myriad ways of death in Final Exits, has compiled a fascinating, off-beat, and darkly humorous necrology that provides the grim, often outrageous details about the passing of influential persons. Meticulously researched—employing archaeological records, published obituaries, official documents, and forensic evidence—this authoritative, one-of-a-kind reference presents the unabashed truth about a multitude of celebrity deaths, while examining the various deeds, misdeeds, and lifestyle quirks that hastened the demise and determined the departed's role in history and popular myth. The Portable Obituary has the skinny on what made our late icons—whether through overindulgence or neglect: on the john, in the sack, or in some spectacular accident—what they are today: dead!
From Mozart to rock and roll, which performers ended their lives on the wrong note?
What famous U.S. bridge is named after an explorer who was eaten by cannibals?
Everyone wants to hit the lottery, but does Lady Luck visit winners with deadly fangs?
Plus: Learn the real fate of Gilligan's Island castaways and all your favorite TV actors as well as famous writers, senators, saints, dictators, and philosophers, among many others.
Michael Largo, the man who illuminated readers on the myriad ways of death in Final Exits, has compiled a fascinating, off-beat, and darkly humorous necrology that provides the grim, often outrageous details about the passing of influential persons. Meticulously researched—employing archaeological records, published obituaries, official documents, and forensic evidence—this authoritative, one-of-a-kind reference presents the unabashed truth about a multitude of celebrity deaths, while examining the various deeds, misdeeds, and lifestyle quirks that hastened the demise and determined the departed's role in history and popular myth. The Portable Obituary has the skinny on what made our late icons—whether through overindulgence or neglect: on the john, in the sack, or in some spectacular accident—what they are today: dead!
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Michael Largo
10 books48 followersMichael Largo is an expert on the anomalous ways of American dying. He is the author of The Portable Obituary (a Bram Stoker Award Finalist), Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die (winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction), and three novels. He was the former editor of New York Poetry and the researcher/archivist for the film company Allied Artists. The son of an NYPD narcotics detective, Largo was the owner and founder of the landmark NYC East Village, St Marks Bar & Grill during the early 80s, where he served an eclectic clientele, including Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, Larry Rivers, and Keith Richards, to name a few, allowing an insider’s look and unusual vantage to observe both genius and heroin--in all its deviations--and its impact on contemporary culture.
Michael Largo has been collecting statistics and information on the American way of dying for over a decade. He is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America amd Horror Writers of America, and The American Historical Association.
Michael Largo has been collecting statistics and information on the American way of dying for over a decade. He is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America amd Horror Writers of America, and The American Historical Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 24, 2025
eh! took me a while to read and i enjoyed the content but not necessarily the format. it wasn’t bad, but it took me a long time to get through for whatever reason
October 19, 2019
It didn't really deliver on its promise. Half of the people I'd never head of, and I wasn't really convinced of the research... if you're going to tout your claim against the myth, you need to back it up by more than just "some say. " It seemed like it cut corners and it definitely needed an editor.
June 4, 2016
Interesting read but lots of facts that are not what the author says they are. I feel like he made up some of the dead stories to make for an interesting read. I ended up looking up an lot of his "facts" to see if they were true - they weren't. I especially love how he has Nat King Cole AND Flip Wilson as the 1st Black host of a Variety show. Really needs an editor who will read and check up on his facts!
January 10, 2020
Interesting and entertaining. The only really downside of it was there were several errors within the book that some may not know as errors (so I won't reveal them here.) If you just want an easy, readable entertaining book, this is one.
May 21, 2014
Alphabetical by the last name of the deceased, this interesting book provides brief blurbs about how the rich and famous really died.
February 13, 2025
Writer Michael Largo crafts an over 300 page obituary column paying tribute to some of the most famous and infamous people to ever have lived. There's also quite a few people that have become forgotten over time, slipping through the cracks of pop culture and world history.
I thought that Largo's writing style was clear and concise. I learned a lot of interesting things from those lesser known celebrities to how medical terms involving the cause of death have changed over the years. I thought it was ironic how over 100 years ago, wealthy people were said to have died of exhaustion while the poor were categorized as dying of laziness; when in reality it was their living conditions and manner of life style, through excess or severe want that were the true culprits.
I thought that there were several notable figures absent from this book. Largo covers how a number of presidents die. However, there's no mention of JFK. Bobby Kennedy, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., are also omitted from this work. Michael Largo has another book called Final Exits, about the various ways people have died. I want to read that book. Perhaps he focuses on assassinations in that book and thus didn't want to repeat himself...
Some of the facts the writer presents seemed contradictory to other books and documentaries I've seen over the years. Some of it could just be me remembering details differently. Though I must ask why Largo neglected to mention the resurrection of Jesus Christ in his listing on the founder of Christianity? Whether the author believed in Jesus as Savior or not, to not mention that many believe Christ rose from the dead was a serious oversight. Michael Largo wrote in other obituaries that further similar important religious figures are believed to have returned to life. Or never passed at all. Why not with a historical figure whose proclaimed resurrection is the founding tenet of one of the most important religions in human history?
The inside cover states that this book covers over 1,000 famous deaths. However, that's a deceptive blurb. I would say that Michael Largo covers probably 300 deaths in great detail and another 100 in 1-2 sentence factoids. The remaining majority are regulated to an index which tells of famous people such as Buddy Hackett and Wyatt Earp, with only a birth date, date of death, age at the time of death and cause. Imagine that, your whole life summed up in 3 short lines- just like a standard obituary..
Lastly, this book claims that Michael Largo has a humorous slant on the deaths of these notable figures. I understand that when dealing with such a morose subject, a hearty sense of humor is vital to prevent yourself from falling into a depression. However, I didn't really think the writer was all that funny. Informative? Absolutely! I devoured this book. It was an entertaining read. However, I felt like the attempts at humor were mostly bad puns and the equivalent of undertaker Dad jokes.
I thought that Largo's writing style was clear and concise. I learned a lot of interesting things from those lesser known celebrities to how medical terms involving the cause of death have changed over the years. I thought it was ironic how over 100 years ago, wealthy people were said to have died of exhaustion while the poor were categorized as dying of laziness; when in reality it was their living conditions and manner of life style, through excess or severe want that were the true culprits.
I thought that there were several notable figures absent from this book. Largo covers how a number of presidents die. However, there's no mention of JFK. Bobby Kennedy, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., are also omitted from this work. Michael Largo has another book called Final Exits, about the various ways people have died. I want to read that book. Perhaps he focuses on assassinations in that book and thus didn't want to repeat himself...
Some of the facts the writer presents seemed contradictory to other books and documentaries I've seen over the years. Some of it could just be me remembering details differently. Though I must ask why Largo neglected to mention the resurrection of Jesus Christ in his listing on the founder of Christianity? Whether the author believed in Jesus as Savior or not, to not mention that many believe Christ rose from the dead was a serious oversight. Michael Largo wrote in other obituaries that further similar important religious figures are believed to have returned to life. Or never passed at all. Why not with a historical figure whose proclaimed resurrection is the founding tenet of one of the most important religions in human history?
The inside cover states that this book covers over 1,000 famous deaths. However, that's a deceptive blurb. I would say that Michael Largo covers probably 300 deaths in great detail and another 100 in 1-2 sentence factoids. The remaining majority are regulated to an index which tells of famous people such as Buddy Hackett and Wyatt Earp, with only a birth date, date of death, age at the time of death and cause. Imagine that, your whole life summed up in 3 short lines- just like a standard obituary..
Lastly, this book claims that Michael Largo has a humorous slant on the deaths of these notable figures. I understand that when dealing with such a morose subject, a hearty sense of humor is vital to prevent yourself from falling into a depression. However, I didn't really think the writer was all that funny. Informative? Absolutely! I devoured this book. It was an entertaining read. However, I felt like the attempts at humor were mostly bad puns and the equivalent of undertaker Dad jokes.
April 26, 2020
The concept here is clever enough. Stoker Award-winning author Michael Largo compiles brief accounts of the lives of famous or otherwise prominent people, with emphases on the causes of their deaths. Some folks turn out to be more interesting than others. Unfortunately, the quality of the writing is consistently terrible throughout. Seriously, HarperCollins, would a copy editor and a fact checker have cost all that much?
February 11, 2020
I know with these sort of books,you could Google the information,but where is the gun in that.and as I have said before it can be a springboard for reading more on the people coveted,even if you know what the ending is😊
April 12, 2019
Even if the accuracy is at times open to question, it is still an entertaining read.
March 11, 2023
Fascinating
June 15, 2023
Interesting enough but some of the “facts” seem a little off
May 20, 2025
An interesting read. The short stories are a good introduction to the lives and deaths of the people. However, some of the "facts" aren't true.
June 1, 2025
3.5 stars
May 19, 2008
While not nearly as informative as his first foray into death, this is truly not for the squeamish. I rather blame this interest in my trip to the morgue for a science class in college. A quick read, perfect for right before bed or the potty. Mr. Largo seems a tad repetitive (how many ways are there to say that someone's died?) and uninterested in some of his subjects. His choices of those to profile aren't always obvious, but I'd still recommend this book to anyone.
September 5, 2015
The pictures did not correspond with the text, sometimes, as was the case of Dorothy Dandridge and Hattie McDaniel. So big title, Dorothy Dandridge, but picture of Hattie McDaniel.
It was a little hodge-podge but then there's a list of people at the end with just their cause (and date) of death, and I can see how boring this could have been if the author hadn't presented so many people in this way.
Somewhat alphabetical and a little mixed up.
It was a little hodge-podge but then there's a list of people at the end with just their cause (and date) of death, and I can see how boring this could have been if the author hadn't presented so many people in this way.
Somewhat alphabetical and a little mixed up.
October 26, 2010
Some of the information is questionable, to say the least. Specific easy-to-find details differ between this book and other primary sources in many cases. Nevertheless, it is morbid and interesting. Unfortunately, the author fell victim to one of the most classic blunders when he used the phrase "could care less." For shame, author. For shame, editors. For shame.
September 5, 2007
The follow-up to Final Exits, this one is less creepy than it is sad. Again, I'm being a goof and putting it up here because I set the interior. That's over 400 images I placed! Enjoy my labors by laughing and the misfortune of others.
June 13, 2017
This was a very interesting read! I love how Largo gives a lot of historical facts and backgrounds, but then incorporates his twisted sense of humour into every entry. I loved How We Die and loved this one. I can't wait to read his third book of this genre.
February 13, 2009
Not particularly stringently fact-checked and striving overly hard to affect a flippantly humorous tone, this was a book that I kept getting mad at, thinking I should put it down and walk away from and then returning to read.
So I guess it's got SOMETHING going for it...
So I guess it's got SOMETHING going for it...
December 22, 2015
This book may seem to be only for the depressed or those interested in death, but it can actually be for anyone. It gives many interesting and funny facts about the famous. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about interesting facts and celebrities.
September 19, 2013
I loved this book. Yes, it satisfied a morbid curiosity, but it was rather matter of fact and contained fun and interesting facts about the lives of the dead as well as how they died. Totally a good book to take with you when you are going to be waiting around. Say...to the doctor's office. *grin*
October 15, 2014
Any book containing "Howdy Doody," " Mr. Ed" and "Gilligan's Island" has something going for it. Some type of graphic appears with the text....great for nostalgia. The "Final Words" would be improved if there were some type of acknowledgement such as "actor," "singer," etc.
October 17, 2007
Interesting book. Light reading. It has a lot of interesting tid bits on the rich/poor and famous. The most interesting one is a suggestion that Elvis and James Dean were gay.
September 2, 2008
full of wonderfully morbid and interesting facts, though at times a little depressing and definitely not for hypochondriacs.
October 5, 2012
It could have been interesting, but I had trouble getting past the missing words, unfortunate punctuation errors, and the incredibly tight pages. The attempted humor also often fell flat.
October 22, 2009
Interesting. I might have liked more detail, but it pretty much did what it advertized itself to do.
July 12, 2010
Very interesting. Fun to skim through, but can also keep you busy for hours.
February 25, 2011
Oh man, this book is a wealth of creepy info.
June 6, 2012
Love it - so weird how some people's death is tied to their lives or accomplishments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews