'The heavens over Chicago have opened': Man who won praise for poignant tweets from bedside of his terminally ill mother reveals she has died

Scott Simon, a broadcaster on the US National Public Radio network, staged a Twitter vigil for his terminally ill mother (© NPR 2005, by Will O'Leary)

The American radio broadcaster who won praise for his poignant tweets from the bedside of his terminally ill mother has disclosed that she died on Monday night.

Scott Simon, a presenter on National Public Radio, had shared his observations and memories during his mother's final days in a Chicago hospital intensive care unit, with 1.2 million followers.

Simon continued to update his followers during his mother's final hours. “The heavens over Chicago have opened and Patricia Lyons Simon Newman has stepped onstage…. She will make the face of heaven shine so fine that all the world will be in love with night.”

Simon thanked those who had sent him warm wishes and wrote that the worst part had been informing his daughter.

He disclosed that bereaved families are advised to call a “1-800 DIGNITY number. Worthy of Evelyn Waugh...”

Whilst Simon was praised for showing that Twitter could be used as a platform for grieving, others questioned whether his mother has consented to his decision to share her pain and suffering with a wider world.