People Who've Discovered A Surprising Secret After Someone Passed Away, What Happened?

Recently, we rounded up some of the best replies from this Reddit thread that asked: "What disturbing fact came to light about a family member after they passed away?"

From secret families to hidden cash, people shared shocking and disturbing secrets they learned about their family members or loved ones after they passed. It was a stark reminder of the human experience—the multitudes of knowns and unknowns about a person and the impact that having or not having information can have on one's perceptions and truth about someone.

Because so many others in the comments had their own stories of secrets learned after someone passed, and we all have our truths and untruths, I wanted to turn it over to you. Have you ever learned something shocking about someone you knew or loved after they passed away?

Maybe you were cleaning out your grandmother's home after she passed away, and you learned that grandma kept all sorts of things you never knew about. You found many letters from multiple lost lovers, stacks of cash in odd places, and correspondence that indicated she was a spy during World War II.

Perhaps you tragically lost one of your friends, but it was only after their death you learned they weren't who they said they were. Your friend was always wealthy, but you never knew why; you just assumed he was humble. Apparently, he was actually a scam artist who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his family and friends before fleeing and living under a stolen passport in your country. You always saw him as strangely generous, but now you view your relationship completely differently, knowing the harm he caused.

Maybe you took a 23andMe test, which told you you had a brother. You thought it was a fluke because you grew up an only child, but this person reached out to you, and you learned that your now-deceased dad fathered a son before you were born. Your long-lost brother told you your dad cut off contact with his mother, never to be heard from again. He died never telling your family his secret.

Whatever secret you learned after someone passed—whether funny, tragic, sad, or surprising—let me know your story in the comments or by submitting to this anonymous form.