Obituary: Richard Rusbridger 1949–2025

Richard was born in Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). His father was Director of Education and whilst working in the province met and married Richard’s mother, a nurse. Richard was the eldest of three brothers. At the tender age of eight, Richard was faced with the most challenging of circumstances for one so young. His middle brother was born severely disabled, and because of his complex needs which required intensive nursing care the family returned to the UK. Richard was sent at eight to boarding school, and, tragically for the family, his brother died. Richard was faced with not only the loss of his parents, albeit temporarily, but also the death of a sibling. Fortunately, Richard was able to let his unhappiness be known. He didn’t suffer in silence, and his parents brought him home.

These painful and bewildering experiences enabled Richard to understand what catastrophic loss feels like and the desolation and emptiness that can follow. Richard found that psychoanalysis has an emotional language that can put these early experiences into words and be understood. These experiences enabled Richard to be an analyst with deep conviction, and he was able to help others put into words and articulate their anxieties and fears and be heard and understood.

He had a conventional English middle-class education – prep school, public school and then to Cambridge to read English and music. Richard discovered a love of music from an early age, and a love of reading. He always had his head in a book, his mother said. He had a fine voice, and was a chorister who sang at the consecration of Guildford Cathedral. He was a talented pianist and had a great passion for playing the organ. At the age of 15 he became a church organist. One of his great joys, along with his brother, would be to work out how to break into the organ loft so as to test out the organ. The key would always be hidden somewhere. His love of music stayed with him throughout his life, he enjoyed singing, playin