Robert Coles: key obituary facts
Is Robert Coles dead? Yes. Robert Coles died on June 4, 2026, at age 97.
Cause of death: Robert Coles's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Robert Coles known for?
He was an American psychiatrist.
More about Robert Coles
Born: 12 October 1929.
Place of birth: Boston.
Gender: male.
Occupation: psychiatrist, psychologist, educator, writer, university teacher, physician.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Harvard University, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Harvard College.
Employer: Harvard University.
Awards: MacArthur Fellows Program, National Humanities Medal, Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Lillian Smith Book Award, Oskar Pfister Award, Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.
Robert Coles, an American child psychiatrist and professor emeritus at Harvard University, died on June 4, 2026.
He was 97. Born in Boston on October 12, 1929, Coles studied at Harvard and at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he earned his medical degree in 1954.
He went on to teach at Harvard University and became known as an author, physician, psychologist and educator. His work was recognized with honors including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, the National Humanities Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a MacArthur Fellowship.