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Andy Corren: Son's hilarious obituary for 'plus-sized Jewish redneck' mother goes viral

Obituaries are generally solemn write-ups, Andy Corren took a very unusual route

Obituaries are generally solemn write-ups where the departed are remembered fondly by their loved ones. However, New York-based writer and talent manager Andy Corren took a different route when he wrote his mother Renay Mandel Corren's obituary in the Fayetteville Observer on Wednesday.

"A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday. A more disrespectful, trash-reading, talking and watching woman in NC, FL or TX was not to be found," he wrote in the very un-solemn and satirical ode to his late mother.

"Yes, Renay lied a lot. But on the plus side, Renay did not cook, she did not clean and she was lousy with money too," Corren added. 

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Andy's unusual ode to his mother's life went viral and caught the attention of many people around the globe. The obit further said that when "Renay was not cooking or working, she used to play cards like a shark, bowled, and played cribbage like a pro. She used to laugh with the boys until the wee hours, long after the last pin dropped."

“At one point in the 1980s, Renay was the 11th or 12th-ranked woman in cribbage in America, and while that could be a lie, it sounds great in print.”

The obit also says that Renay was preceded in death by her ex-boyfriend, Larry King. It's not clear if she dated the late show host or kept a regular "date" with his shows.

In a follow-up post shared by Fayetteville Observer, they wrote, "Obituaries for mothers written by their sons can be some of the most heartfelt public expressions found in a daily newspaper." Further, it said, "They detail special moments and the hallmarks of what makes a mom a mom. But only son Andy does justice to this take on Rosie, as his mother was known to friends." 

The obituary also said, "Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren at the impossible old age of 84 is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing." 

Further, he added, "Here was a bawdy, rowdy life lived large, broke and loud. We thought Renay could not be killed. God knows, people tried. A lot." 

Corren concluded, "The family requests absolutely zero privacy or propriety, none what so ever, and in fact encourages you to spend some government money today on a 1-armed bandit, at the blackjack table or on a cheap cruise to find out inheritance. She spent it all, folks." 

Needless to say, this unusual take on his mother's death piqued people's interest and the obit soon went viral.

"Are you looking for a 5 minute read that will definitely make you enjoy life more? I suggest Renay Mandel Corren’s obituary from the Fayetteville Observer," wrote Josh Stein. "This Obit my God," wrote a gobsmacked Sarah Weinman, while Tara Haelle summed up the sentiments of many when she tweeted,"This is one hell of an obit."