How do you find out if someone has died?

Whether you're looking to find out what happened to an old friend you lost touch with or finding information on a significant member of your community, there are several simple ways to find out if someone has died in Australia.

Check in on them

It's worth reaching out to the person themselves - either over the phone or in person if you're worried about them. Even if you don't know them that well, they may appreciate the concern and will actually be pleased to hear from you. Especially for older members of the community, loneliness can be crippling and often has serious consequences on a person's mental and physical health - so you may be helping them more than you think just by asking if they're alright. In reaching out, you may also find the answers you're looking for. Write a letter or email, give them a call or message them on social media to reach out.

Ask family and friends

If you're concerned about someone but don't feel you can reach out directly, ask their family or friends if they've heard from the person or if they're ok. They can inform you of the person's passing if it has occurred. You can then work with them to place a death or funeral notice, to ensure that other members of your community find out.

Search for a death notice

The easiest and safest way to find out if someone has died in Australia is to search Australia's most trusted destination for death, funeral and tribute notices in print and online - My Tributes.

You can still find local, recent death notices in your local newspaper. If the family of the deceased has chosen to do so, a death notice can publish in the newspaper of their choice. If your local community newspaper no longer prints, you can find your local death notices in the metropolitan state newspaper, or you can view the print version of your favourite regional newspaper by clicking on the 'Read the Paper' link on your favourite newspaper's website (found in the top left hand corner). You can find each day's death notices curated in the My Tributes section of most News Corp Australia newspapers.

You can also find notices online at mytributes.com.au or through the "Tributes" link on your favorite news website - you can find more advice on how to find a death notice in Australia here.

Check social media

If you still can't find out if a person has died, you can check their social media to find out if they have passed by checking to see if friends and family have posted tributes on their page. However, don't trust everything you see on social media - it's worth following this up with the above tips to confirm the passing.

If you can't find a death or funeral notice for a recently deceased person, you can find more information on why that might be the case here.

To place a death or funeral notice, visit mytributes.com.au and click "Place a notice" to get started.