From Death of an Artist: It’s Lonely Without You, Friends

From Death of an Artist: It’s Lonely Without You, Friends

September 1, 2026 · 47 min · Season 4

About this episode

This episode explores the complex emotions surrounding the joint suicide of a beloved children's book author and her husband, as experienced by their friends and family.

Here's episode 2 of Leon's new series, Death of an Artist , a story about the joint suicide of a beloved children’s book author and her photographer husband that left behind an uneasy fellowship of friends and family caught between grief, confusion, anger, and envy.  Michael and Petra Mathers left their house and the logistics of their afterlife to their friend Patty—unbeknownst to Patty’s sister Virginia, who considered herself one of Michael and Petra’s best friends. Patty and Virginia have different perspectives on what Michael and Petra did, but they agree on what it was like to be around them as a couple: awestruck and a bit excluded, something even Alice and Leon pick up on while looking at their dozens of photo albums.  Find Death of an Artist wherever you get podcasts. And get early, ad-free access to the entire season now by subscribing to Pushkin+ on the Apple Podcasts show page or at pushkin.fm/plus . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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