The first time I encountered the term death doula was in a news story about how Nicole Kidman had decided to become one. Kidman’s mother passed away in 2024, a heartbreaking loss made worse by the fact that Kidman wasn’t by her side when it happened—and the distressing knowledge that her mother had often been lonely at the end of her life. While processing her grief, and her guilt, the actress felt called to embark on a second career as one of these end-of-life caregivers, who provide holistic, nonmedical support to dying patients and their families.

“I’d love to learn that role,” Kidman said, speaking at an event at the University of San Francisco in April. “Loneliness is a big part of our world now, particularly for people in that stage of life. I want to be there.”

At the time, I found this fascinating and not a little bit funny, in the worst and most macabre way. Imagine being terminally ill, slowly losing your functions, your faculties, your dignity, your bladder control—and there at your bedside, fluffing your pillow and slipping ice chips through your pale, parched lips, is the star of Eyes Wide Shut.

But Kidman is not alone in her interest. In an overstressed, understaffed system of care for dying patients, a new and growing cohort of caregivers has emerged who hope to reintroduce some humanity into a process made sterile by corporate influence. It’s not unlike the recent boom in birth doulas, who similarly advocate for expectant mothers.

Researchers who study trends in end-of-life care have noted that death doulas are a fast-growing category in the field, and where numbers are available, they tell a compelling story. Between 2019 and 2024, membership in the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance—a dues-paying organization for death doulas and those who train them—grew from approximately 260 to over 1,600. On social media, posts from death doulas rack up thousands of views; topics range from environmentally friendly funeral practices to what a death rattle really sounds like. The popularity of this content is proof not only that a market exists for the services that death doulas offer, but so too does a hunger for a more expansive cultural conversation around the topic of death itself...