A 51-year-old Army veteran from Washington state has gone viral after writing his own obituary, which was published shortly after his death and praised online as one of the best ever written. Michael De Simone died on 21 August from a cardiac event, following months of recovery from a stroke earlier this year and a recent hospitalisation for a serious infection. His witty, self-penned tribute, published by the Centralia Chronicle, has resonated widely for its humour and warmth in the face of loss.

In the obituary, De Simone joked that "this was not the plan" and wryly noted that "there was some measure of disagreement between his mind and his body." Written partly in the third person, it recalled how he entered and left the world "eating pizza," celebrated nearly 33 years with his wife Daisy, whom he called his "forever sweetheart," and reflected fondly on his two daughters and his extensive travels to every continent bar Antarctica. His friend Mark Campanella, who first announced the death on Facebook, said De Simone would have loved the reaction, adding, "This is so him."