Q: There are many "rules" associated with this page. Why?
A: Recent deaths is one of the most-viewed articles in Wikipedia. Deaths in 2021 was the most-read Wikipedia article in 2021, with over 45 million views.[1] It is important that such a high-profile article have factual information presented in a consistent format.
Q: Why are there redlinks or redirects (deceased subject with no Wikipedia article) listed in the article?
A: Many notable people die before a Wikipedia article is written about them. The regular editors of this page have agreed that a death notice without an English-language article may remain for one month after the death, so that an article may develop. If there is no article after one month, then the death notice is removed from the list.
Q: Why is each death sourced by a simple citation only?
A: Each month, over 1000 deaths are reported. If the "cite news" template were used in each entry, the page would be slower to load as each instance of the template is rendered. Editors have decided by consensus to use a simpler cite in the form <ref>[url, title]</ref>.
Q: Why are dead animals sometimes listed in the article?
A: Many animals (like Lonesome George) achieve notability similar to humans during their life. This article reports the death of any notable biological life with its own article, not just humans.
Q: I saw on social media that a notable person has just died. May I add this death to the list?
A: Material about living persons (or recently deceased) that is unsourced or poorly sourced is removed immediately and without waiting for discussion (WP:BLP). Blogs and social media sites are generally considered to be unreliable. Every death listed must be supported by a reference from a reliable, independent source.
Q: A new month started five days ago. Why are deaths in the old month still appearing here?
A: It takes some time for deaths to be reported in the media and published here. Editors have agreed to keep the old month listed in the article for seven days after the new month begins. After that time, the "old" deaths are transferred to the article Deaths in <old month name>.
Q: Why is there sometimes a date without entries at the top of the page?
