Major historic chapter-ending news often seems so terribly sudden. Many North Koreans were said to be sincerely weeping over the demise of "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, but for other people around the world, the end came none too soon. Their eyes are quite dry and will so remain, for as long as there is historical memory.
What was remarkable about the death of the despot of North Korea (allegedly aged 69) was how quickly this historic "sudden news" reached the outside world.
In Asia, you see, it's amazing how significant news sometimes gets out no more rapidly than a backlash of taffy. This can be the case regarding news about political big shots. Take the infamous example of the death of Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in 2000. It was kept from the Japanese people for as long as possible. After the prime minister's stroke, which itself was only slowly reported, the true facts of his prolonged deep coma were blurred from public view.