History Main / NoLongerWithUs

Subtrope of UnEntendre and ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated. SisterTrope to ReleasedToElsewhere, which uses the same sort of euphemisms intentionally to cover up a death.

* Done in ''The Brainiacs.com'' when Kara, the new bank clerk informs David that the previous clerk, an elderly man, has gone to the "Great Beyond", which turns out to be a retirement home (which, if you think about it, is a stupid name for people who don't want to think about death).

* A variation in the film ''Moonlight and Valentino'', a woman wakes up to find her husband gone and he's left a note. She assumes he's left her and can't bring herself to read the note, so her friend, Whoopi Goldberg, reads it.

* In the film ''Sunny's Ears'', the title character has been visiting a dog pound daily to see if anyone has claimed a stray dog she rescued, as the date upon which he is to be euthanized if not claimed draws ever closer. She runs into the dog pound on the day he is to die having come up with an alternative (to have the highly intelligent stray trained as a service dog), only to have the woman at the desk relay that "he's gone", devastating Sunny. In the next scene, a conversation between the woman and one of the kennel workers reveals that she actually misunderstood what she'd been told; she ''thought'' the worker was saying the dog had been put down, but he was actually trying to tell her the dog was ''literally'' gone -- he escaped.
* In ''Ride Like a Girl'', Michelle Payne returns home after visiting her father in hospital after his heart attack. She then gets a call from her sister, still at the hospital, who tells her he's "gone". Michelle promptly collapses to the floor in tears, only for Paddy to walk into the house, revealing that he's discharged himself against the doctors' instructions.

A standard comedic misunderstanding, in which Alice announces that Bob "is no longer with us", "has moved on", "was transferred upstairs", "joined the silent majority" etc. Considering how many [[NeverSayDie euphemisms for death]] there are in modern language, everyone naturally assumes that Bob has died. Turns out, Alice [[LiteralMetaphor was speaking literally]] and Bob has just left for work, earned a promotion, or gone on vacation. He's in a better place -- Palm Springs.

* In ''Website/IUsedToBelieve'', one person's [[https://www.iusedtobelieve.com/death/animals/animals_s6.php submission]] was about how his [[DogGotSentToLiveOnAFarm dog got sent to a farm]], meaning the family's uncle's farm due to them moving to an apartment. They didn't realize why everyone looked so sad when informed of this.

* In ''Website/IUsedToBelieve'', one person's [[https://www.iusedtobelieve.com/death/animals/animals_s6.php submission]] was about how his dog got sent to live on a farm, meaning the family's uncle's farm due to them moving to an apartment. They didn't realize why everyone looked so sad when informed of this.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* When {{ska}} band Music/FiveIronFrenzy's trumpet player missed a show (he was attending a wedding), vocalist Reese Roper made a comment to the fans that Brad was "in a better place". This comment spawned rumors on the Internet that Brad really was dead. The band then made fun of the entire incident in their song "The Untimely Death of Brad".
* There's the one about the woman who asks after an acquaintance's teenage son, who hasn't been seen for some weeks, and is told he's "gone up to Jesus" [[spoiler: [[http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/ Jesus College]] ]].
* This happened to old-time Western actress Dorothy Fay. A friend paid a visit to her at her nursing home, but after finding her room empty she was told by a staff member that Dorothy was "gone". The friend immediately telephoned an acquaintance who worked at the ''Telegraph'' newspaper in the UK; a full obituary was published in the following day's edition. It turned out that Dorothy had actually "gone" to ''another floor'' of the nursing home and was still very much alive. The newspaper's obituary editor had to publish a correction and also had to call her son, Creator/JohnRitter, to apologize personally for the error. In a sad coincidence, Fay eventually outlived Ritter by two months.
** In fact, there are a number of similar incidents included in Wiki/TheOtherWiki's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_obituary list of premature obituaries]].
* At least the Russian sector of web-news feeds is ''very'' fond of headlines like "The world has lost the famous singer X". Turns out X retired or moved into sports or something.
* One time during a storm, the captain of a commercial plane announced to the passengers, "We're going to try to land at O'Hare. Three of the last five planes that tried didn't make it." After a [[OhCrap stunned silence]] from the passengers, the intercom came back on: "It's been suggested I tell you that the other planes flew on to Milwaukee."
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': In one episode, Johnny's mom is angry that the clothes selection in the shop they are in is so poor and tells him she'll go to "a better place". That plus his [[IdiotBall natural stupidity]] gets everyone in the shop to think he's an orphan. He knows she's not dead, what he doesn't get is that the others assume so.
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': In one episode, due to English not being his first language, the actor who plays [[ShowWithinAShow Monsignor Martinez]] tells Peggy his wife's with "her ancestors", when he really just means visiting her grandparents.

* "Batty Baseball", a Creator/TexAvery cartoon, shows the name of a baseball stadium at where the cartoon takes place, W.C. Field. A caption pops up suddenly reading "The guy who thought up this corny gag isn't with us anymore." (Whether it means the staff killed him or he was fired is up for interpretation.)

* Zigzagged in ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers''. Shortly after he and Zipper meet Chip and Dale, Monty tries to take the two chipmunks to meet his old friend, Geegaw Hackwrench, hoping Geegaw will be able to help them in their mission to retrieve the Clutchcoin Ruby. Instead, they encounter Geegaw's daughter, Gadget, who says her father is "not here." When Dale, taking this at face value, asks when Geegaw is coming back, Gadget replies that he isn't because she "lost him over a year ago." She [[NeverSayDie doesn't actually say that Geegaw is dead]], but because she talks about him in the past tense, and her eyes fill with tears while she is looking at a photograph of him, it is implied that she at least believes this to be the case.

A standard comedy misunderstanding, in which a character claims a loved one "is no longer with us", "has moved on", "is in a better place", "has joined the choir invisible" etc. Considering how many [[NeverSayDie euphemisms for death]] there are in modern language, everyone naturally assumes that they've died, but no, in fact the character was [[LiteralMetaphor talking literally]] and the allegedly departed has just gone to work, is on vacation, or is in a musical group that prevents its members from being seen. They've gone to a better place -- a resort in Palm Springs.

Whatever the case, if these euphemisms become too obvious or contrived, the listener or the speaker may have picked up the IdiotBall.

Sometimes characters with darker senses of humor will do this on purpose. The characters they're talking to are usually not amused.

A lesser used inversion is that the character really is dead, but the listener doesn't understand the euphemisms used. This is usually less comedic and more tragic, but [[BlackComedy not always]].

* This happened to old-time Western actress Dorothy Fay. A friend paid a visit to her at her nursing home, but after finding her room empty she was told by a staff member that Dorothy was "gone". The friend immediately telephoned an acquaintance who worked at the ''Telegraph'' newspaper in the UK; a full obituary was published in the following day's edition. It turned out that Dorothy had actually "gone" to ''another floor'' of the nursing home and was still very much alive. The newspaper's obituary editor had to publish a correction and also had to call her son, John Ritter, to apologize personally for the error. Very much a FunnyAneurysmMoment, as Fay eventually outlived Ritter by two months.

* Similar to the ''Barney Miller'' episode above is the ''Series/{{Mash}}'' episode [[Recap/MashS3E12AFullRichDay "A Full, Rich Day"]], where this trope gets a [[ZigzaggedTrope full workout]]. Along with the other insanity currently going on at the 4077th[[note]] An AxeCrazy Turkish soldier who refuses to be treated and [[BloodKnight just wants to go back to the front]]; a US lieutenant holding the doctors hostage until his buddy gets bumped to the top of the triage queue[[/note]] the doctors lose a soldier from Luxembourg. In both senses of the term -- Pvt. [=LeClerque=] died, ''and'' the 4077th can't find his body. Which becomes awkward when his CO comes back wanting to retrieve his body personally for burial[[note]] As UsefulNotes/{{Luxembourg}} is a tiny nation, every one of its sons is precious to them and they want him back for burial with honors[[/note]]. Of course, Col. Blake pours on the diplomacy when he declares [[DiggingYourselfDeeper "We lose them all the time."]]. In the end, it becomes purely this trope, as [=LeClerque=] is found -- completely alive. When to mollify the Luxemburgisch colonel they play the Luxembourg national anthem as part of a memorial service, [=LeClerque=] (who'd been in a full body cast and therefore [[WhatAnIdiot repeatedly]] overlooked) gets out of bed and walks under his own power to his CO.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': Princess Carolyn and Rutabaga Rabbinowitz try desperately to plan an enormous celebrity wedding for their client that Saturday, three days later. They are running around in their office, making ten deals a minute when...

''' Princess Carolyn:''' You cannot just walk into a room and say "I have terrible news about Meryl Streep"! \\

* Sid carves a voodoo doll out of soap in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' to get revenge on Principal Wartz, and when he hears Wartz is in the hospital, he goes to check on him and finds out he's "checked out" (outpatient rhinoplasty). After the name is removed from Wartz's office and parking space (moved to a bigger office on the other side of the school), and a crying relative informs Sid that Wartz is "under the big tree in the backyard" (Wartz was gardening and the relative was chopping onions), Arnold and Sid finally run into the principal.
* There was also an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' where his mom is angry that the clothes selection in the shop they are in is so poor and tells him she'll go to "a better place". That plus his [[IdiotBall natural stupidity]] get everyone in the shop to think he's an orphan. Quite funny because he knows she's not dead, what he doesn't get is that the others assume so.
* This happens on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''. Due to English not being his first language, the actor who plays [[ShowWithinAShow Monsignor Martinez]] tells Peggy his wife's with "her ancestors", when he really just means visiting her grandparents.
* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': When the Lumbercats first talk about how they miss Yumyan Hammerpaw, they motion upward towards the forest canopy, causing Kipo and the others to assume that he's dead. It's only later that day, when she's trying to win them over by joining in on a song about how great he was, that they clarify that he's literally somewhere in the forest canopy; it's just that no one has the courage to go up and retrieve him.
* Used in the ''WesternAnimation/MakingFiends'' episode "Parents":

** Actually, it's been even more strongly implied that they died. Though Charlotte misses them she chooses to interpret their absence in a positive way and does not understand death, so this may invert the trope.
* A flash forward episode of ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' has someone noting that the former school secretary was no longer with us. Her pension finally payed out (while complaining about which has been a RunningGag) and she moved to Florida.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "Ed Is Dead," Rocko believes Bev to have killed Ed, based on what he has seen through his RearWindowInvestigation, as well as remarks to this effect by Bev herself. It turns out that there was a reason behind all of what he perceived as 'clues' and Ed was actually off getting a wart removed from his butt.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Lisa's Wedding":

** Another episode gives us "The one you call Milhouse is gone.... He went to his grandma's place while we're spraying for potato bugs."
** In the episode "Bart of Darkness" (a parody of Hitchcock's ''Rear Window''), Bart's assumption that Ned killed Maude is reinforced when he overhears Ned telling his sons, "She's with God now." What he meant was that she was away on a religious retreat.
** When Bart sells Santa's Little Helper and later tries to get him back, he tracks him down to the church. Rev. Lovejoy says that the dog is "no longer among us", but he just means they had given him to a blind man.
*** In the same episode, Groundskeeper Willie tells Bart that he bought Santa's Little Helper... and "I ATE him." But it turns out Willie has difficulty pronouncing "H". (He then notes how he "ate the mess he left on me floor"... and then ''clearly'' pronounces "you ''h''eard me!")
** In "A Fish Called Selma", some mobsters are surprised to see Troy [=McClure=] in a restaurant.

'''Fat Tony:''' No, [[LiteralMetaphor what I said]] is that [[BestialityIsDepraved he sleeps with the fishes]]! You see...\\

** In "Lisa's Date With Density" Nelson beats up Milhouse, who is then carried away on a stretcher. We get this exchange:
--->'''Lisa:''' Milhouse, I'm so sorry!\\
'''Paramedic:''' He... can't hear you now. We had to pack his ears with gauze.
** There's the one where Bart & Lisa are caught going through Sideshow Bob's dumpster. Cut to him showing up at their house and telling Marge that her children "are no more... than a couple of ill-bred troublemakers".
** In another episode, Abe is seriously ill and lying in hospital: "I'm going to a better place - Shelbyville hospital!" (''tries to leave his bed'')
** At the beginning of "The Boys of Bummer", Ned is wearing a black armband and tells the kids to win the game for Groundskeeper Willie... because he made the armband for him.
** Near the end of "The Haw-Hawked Couple", Nelson dives into a lake to save Bart from drowning, with the high likelihood that he would die in the attempt. When Bart is revived, he is told by Principal Skinner that "Nelson never woke up"... because he'd never gone to sleep and was perfectly alright.
* Done in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures''. After her hamster dies and her grandmother leaves town on vacation, Elmyra is taken to the school nurse, where she's reduced to tears and sputters out the above. The nurse assumes, and tells everyone, that the ''grandmother'' is dead. That's the biggest case in the episode, though; most of the misunderstandings through the rest of the episode have the characters clearly talking about death (just of the wrong character.)
* ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'': At the end of the "Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United", Rex asks where the injured Six is, prompting this response:
-->'''Bobo:''' He's gone...
-->''(Horrified reaction from Rex)''
-->'''Bobo:''' ...to the little ninja's room.
* In ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode 'Boss Mabel', Mabel explain's Stan absence as:
-->'''Mabel:''' Stan is no longer with us.
-->'''Soos:''' ''He's dead?!'' Oh, why couldn't have it be me?!
-->'''Mabel:''' Whoa, whoa, Soos! Stan's not dead. He's just gone on vacation for a few days.
-->'''Soos:''' ...Thank you for clearing that up.
* On ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', Muscle Man announces that he is dying, but he is actually referring to the "Muscle Man" persona he intends to shed in order to be married to Starla, who instead asks him to keep the persona.
* In "Ponies in Paradise" on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'', Bright Eyes visits a tropical island as part of an exchange program. When they speak of a previous exchange pony who is "not there anymore," it serves to feed her fears, originally stoked by her friends, that they're going to pull an AppeaseTheVolcanoGod on her.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', the Neutron family gathers to celebrate their Aunt Amanda's birthday, and at one point, this exchange happens:
-->'''Aunt Amanda:''' Too bad your granny couldn't be here to see this...
-->''(solemn organ music plays as everyone bows their heads)''
-->'''Aunt Amanda:''' But she's in Reno, kicking butt at the slots!
-->''(everyone cheers)''
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'', Michelangelo is sent to an alternate universe where the Turtles are superheroes instead of ninjas. Mikey notices that their version of Master Splinter is absent and asks where he is, and is solemnly told that "we lost him". Indeed, they did lose him... [[spoiler:to ''[[FaceHeelTurn evil]]''. He's their BigBad.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' spent much of its run being ambiguous about this. It's said that Rose Quartz "[[DeathByChildbirth gave up her physical form]]" to have Steven, instead of plainly saying that she's dead. Granted, this is literal: her gem (which is the core of a Gem's physiology) is embedded in Steven's stomach, no one really knows what would happen to Steven if was removed, and none of his family or allies have any interest in testing that. [[spoiler: When Steven has his Gem removed by White Diamond in the series finale "Change Your Mind", it manifests as ''another Steven'', finally confirming that Rose is [[KilledOffForReal gone for good]], at least as long as Steven is still alive.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': In the FlashForward episode "Act Your Age", set 10 years in the future, Irving says that Major Monogram has gone to a better place. He's in Bora Bora, enjoying his retirement.

* The Creator/TexAvery cartoon "Batty Baseball" shows the name of a baseball stadium at where the cartoon takes place, W.C. Field. A caption pops up suddenly reading "The guy who thought up this corny gag isn't with us anymore." (Whether it means the staff killed him or he was fired is up for interpretation.)
* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'', “Gloomer Rumor”, uses this, where Iris, Misery and Skull Boy are convinced Ruby is going to move, but due to the former two announcing that she “won’t be with us anymore”, Frank and Len assume that means she’s dying. Throughout the episode, Frank and Len are still convinced of this, believing her to be going through the FiveStagesOfGrief, mistaking Ruby’s “upcoming event” (a surprise party) as her death and subsequent funeral, and when Ruby shows up at the end, they believe she’s a ghost.

* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'': "Something happened to Zoë." (The cast is let in on the joke a while before the reader is.)

* The second ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' game has Wright talk as though Edgeworth was dead [[spoiler:up until the final case]]. In reality [[spoiler:he was on a soul searching journey overseas]]. Of course, [[spoiler:he ''did'' leave behind a note saying "Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death", so maybe Phoenix really ''did'' think he was dead]].

* Zigzagged in ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers''. Shortly after he and Zipper meet Chip and Dale, Monty tries to take the two chipmunks to meet his old friend, Geegaw Hackwrench, hoping Geegaw will able to help them in their mission to retrieve the Clutchcoin Ruby. Instead, they encounter Geegaw's daughter, Gadget, who says her father is "not here." When Dale, taking this at face value, asks when Geegaw is coming back, Gadget replies that he isn't because she "lost him over a year ago." She [[NeverSayDie doesn't actually say that Geegaw is dead]], but because she talks about him in the past tense, and her eyes fill with tears while she is looking at a photograph of him, it is implied that she at least believes this to be the case.

A standard comedy misunderstanding, in which a character claims a loved one "is no longer with us", "has moved on", "is in a better place", "has joined the choir invisible" etc. Considering how many [[NeverSayDie euphemisms for death]] there are in modern language, everyone naturally assumes that they've died, but no, in fact the character was [[LiteralMetaphor talking literally]] and the allegedly departed has just gone to work, are on vacation, or are in a musical group that prevents its members from being seen. She's gone to a better place -- a resort in Palm Springs.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'', the Neutron family gathers to celebrate their Aunt Amanda's birthday, and at one point, this exchange happens:

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor's first encounter with Donna Noble happens right after he's just said goodbye to Rose Tyler, who's trapped on a parallel Earth. When he tells Donna about how he recently "lost" a friend, she automatically assumes he means Rose died. Later, however, he has to rescue Donna from [[ItMakesSenseInContext a taxi being driven by a robotic Santa]] and has to get her to trust him. She demands to know if Rose trusted him, to which the Doctor replies:

** In "Cat River Daze," Oscar and Karen become attached to a stray cat and are horrified when they find out that if he stays at the animal shelter too long without being adopted then he'll be sent to "a better place". Naturally, this turns out to be the name of a cat farm.

* In ''Manga/DetectiveConan'', when Conan first finds out who Ai really is, he demands to know what she's doing at the professor's house. Ai replies that the professor is "no longer in this world", Conan barges into his house... and sees him on the Internet. ([[TechnologyMarchesOn It was written at the dialup age, so websurfing occupies the phone line.]])

A standard comedy misunderstanding, in which a character claims a loved one "is no longer with us", "has moved on", "isn't here anymore", "has joined the choir invisible" etc. Considering how many [[NeverSayDie euphemisms for death]] there are in modern language, everyone naturally assumes that they've died, but no, in fact the character was [[LiteralMetaphor talking literally]] and the allegedly departed has just gone to work, are on vacation, or are in a musical group that prevents its members from being seen. She's gone to a better place -- a resort in Palm Springs.