Children’s Author and Memoirist Amy Krouse Rosenthal Dies at 51

Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who wrote a heartbreaking and extraordinarily moving Modern Love column that was published in The New York Times less than two weeks ago, died on Monday at 51. If you’ve not read it yet, do so now. It made me cry the first time around, and it is all the more poignant today.

Her essay, “You May Want to Marry My Husband,” combines pathos and dark humor, and tells of a familial love that dreams are made of. Having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year and a half ago, Rosenthal knew she and her beloved husband did not have much time left together, so she wrote a mock dating profile of sorts for him, which reads like a love letter. It’s remarkably funny and edgy for such a grim subject, which is a testament to Rosenthal’s skill as a writer. It makes you love both Rosenthals, and that’s her goal: She loves her husband so much that she wants him to find love after she’s gone, and she wants some other person to have the privilege of knowing him. It shows just how big-hearted she was.

In addition to this essay, Rosenthal was a writer of many genres, having penned more than 30 children’s books, as well as films and two memoirs.