Analysis: Obituary

The New York Times wrote an obituary about the famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor. The lead follows the usual pattern. It states her name, an identifier, when and where she died and how old she was.

This obituary ran four (web) pages long and used various sources. A spokesperson at the hospital Taylor was at provided the cause of her death. It used a lot of quotes from people she worked with in the industry, like movie directors.

This obituary did not follow the usual obituary format. It ran four pages long and pretty thoroughly described the successful movie career of Taylor. It was split into different parts, her beginning, her love life and her battle with drugs, alcohol and food.