Farewell to a Friend

At moments like this, one is tempted to offer only the facts, yet even those aren't enough to explain something as heartbreaking as this. Jennifer Dawson, wife of former Observer film critic Matt Zoller Seitz, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday. She was 35 years old and in great health,...

By Robert Wilonsky

May 1, 2006

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At moments like this, one is tempted to offer only the facts, yet even those aren't enough to explain something as heartbreaking as this. Jennifer Dawson, wife of former Observer film critic Matt Zoller Seitz, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday. She was 35 years old and in great health, and four days later doctors still do not know what caused her death. Jennifer and Matt have two children: 8-year-old Hannah, among the wisest and wittiest kids you are ever likely to met, and 2-year-old James. I learned of Jen's death on Friday and still can't process it, but Jennifer was far more pragmatic than most, and as Matt says, she likely would not stand for much burbling over her death, no matter the circumstances. So I would direct you to Matt's blog to read about Jennifer, to see pictures of her and Matt with their kids and to find out about a memorial service scheduled in New York later this week. There may also be another one later in her native Oklahoma or in Dallas, where Jen and Matt have family and many, many friends. --Robert Wilonsky

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