Confessions from beyond the grave

A US man's self-written obituary, in which he reminisces about the good times - and makes a few confessions, including never having earned the PhD he claimed in life - has gone viral.

Val Patterson, who died of throat cancer last week, professed his abiding love for his wife and remembered the joy of being young in Utah. But he also admitted to some things he shouldn't have done.

"As it turns out, I AM the guy who stole the safe from the Motor View Drive Inn back in June, 1971. I could have left that unsaid, but I wanted to get it off my chest," he said in the obituary in the Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City.