I’ll echo twickster and expand on my last post, we (meaning both us here on the board, and those of us who knew her IRL) simply don’t know what happened. It is natural for folks to be curious about details, but her family has not yet given any, either because they themselves don’t know yet, or because they prefer not to say. So that’s where we are, and it feels to me the best thing to do right now is express our condolences without speculating.
I feel very sorry for her family. Especially her poor son. He’s far young to lose a parent.
Goodbye Opal.
Particularly given the unpleasant connotations associated with the word “prurient”, I think that’s a bit unfair to posters who may genuinely be interested and concerned. Wondering and speculating about what happened in a situation like this one is simply human nature, and shows that OpalCat had a real impact on people who “knew” her, even if only on line rather than in real life. Would you really rather that everyone say “oh, a well-known poster died? Gosh, I really don’t give a s**t about how it might have happened”? To me, that seems far more callous and objectionable than bewildered/questioning posts wondering (as surely everyone is) about the circumstances of her passing.
Regardless, my heart goes out to her son. If he should ever read about his mother on line - and surely he either already has, or someday will - I hope he realizes how much sympathy, support, and encouragement he has from strangers on the internet.
Opal will be missed. R.I.P.
Goodbye OpalCat. My condolences to all of her family and friends. She will be missed.
My condolences to her family. I still can’t believe it.
I’m sorry but when you learn that someone has died an untimely death, wondering how it happened is not only part of processing the news, it’s part of the actual news. Yes, it’s awful for her loved ones that people might speculate, but it’s entirely human. You can’t have any degree of care about a person’s death regardless of the casualties or intimacy of your acquaintance without wanting to talk about what happened.
Fair thee well…
Fuck.
Perhaps, though in this case it took about 5 minutes of research to conclude with great confidence the nature and reasons of her passing, and that the discussion can get to that point in it’s natural due course.
Goodbye, Opal. It was literally just a few days ago I was looking up her username and seeing what her last post was and hoping she was ok. I didn’t know her outside the SDMB but even though I’m a relative newcomer around here, I still knew her well. I remember her having a pretty emotional meltdown not too long after I started posted here.
I’m glad that she’s not suffering anymore. I can’t imagine what it would be like to keep trying to fight crippling depression for as long as she did. I don’t know if I’d be able to do it for as long as she did.
- Bye, Opal!
I’m very sorry to hear this. My condolences to her family and friends, too - I hope she is at peace now.
I considered Opal to be one of my best friends IRL. I met her here on the SDMB back in the early 2000’s, but haven’t seen her much after she moved away from the DC area. We kept in touch, but not as much as we should have. What really sucks is that I was just thinking of her Saturday, and I texted her that I was thinking of her and really missed her. I never heard back; I wonder if she even got my message. I am extremely saddened by this news. I knew she was having problems but she recently met a guy who she was very in love with and who seemed like the perfect match for her… her “soul mate” as she put it. I can’t imagine what happened to cause such a sudden change. She seemed like she was on top of the world. She was such a creative and intelligent person and I loved her very much. This just sucks so bad. I have so many feelings but I cannot express everything right now. I just can’t help but wonder what happened to cause such a sudden change. She seemed to be so happy. I was really enjoying seeing all the cute pictures of her and her new boyfriend on Facebook. I commented that she really deserved to find happiness. It really made me smile every time she posted a new pic with her and her BF with a huge smile on her face. It really sucks that she would leave behind such a beautiful teenage son (but he has a dad who is a really good guy, so he’s not alone). Anyway enough for now. I love you and will miss you Katherine.
Peace to you , Opal.
It’s very sad news. Goodnight Opal.
Ditto. It saddens me that another human being is gone so soon in life. Condolences to her family and all those who knew her.
Peace.
I bristle a bit at the “prurient scandal” label. I think it’s normal to wonder what the cause of death was for such a young woman and those of us who’ve been here for a long time are familiar with Opal’s struggles. If it was suicide, then calling such speculation a “prurient scandal” just adds to the shame and stigma of mental illness. If it was cancer would that phrase come up?
Anyway, I remain shocked and saddened and am sorry for the loss of a truly creative, passionate, and kind person, whatever the cause.
This is so bizarre. I’ve only been here 10 years yet it seems I’ve known more Dopers that have died than ones I know from real life.