Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <word-choice>
Title: What is a respectful way to refer to a person who has died?
Question: What is a respectful way to refer to a person who has died? Is it OK to call that person "rest in peace"?   The rest in peace guy was a very generous man.

Answers:
sents: text: You can say "late" if you are referring to the deceased's name, or a position from which it is obvious who you mean.
text: This is respectful, formal, and businesslike.
text: The late John D. Rockefeller was a very generous man.
text: My late husband was a very generous man.
text: But not *The late guy was a very generous man.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/634/ptomato
score: 42
sents: text: "Rest in peace" should always be written as RIP (which really is an abbreviation of the Latin).
text: It should not be used as an adjective.
text: Thus, one cannot say The * rest-in-peace guy was a very generous man except one wants to be extremely informal, but this is certainly not respectful.
text: I propose two options: Use
text: deceased :
text: The deceased was a very generous man Punctuate any reference to the dead with RIP (written), may he/
text: she/
text: they rest in peace , or may his/her/their [gentle] soul[s] rest in [perfect] peace :
text: The man, may his gentle soul rest in peace , was very generous.
text: He was a very generous man; may his gentle soul rest in peace .
text: Mr. M, RIP , was a very generous man.
text: Mr. M, may he rest in peace , was a very generous man.
text: Use while alive : While alive , he was a very generous man.
text: He was a very generous man while he was alive .
text: The past tense and tender memories can also suffice, depending on context:
text: He was a very generous man.
text: As always, one's tone is most important factor in situations such as this.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/2705/Jimi Oke
score: 17
sents: text: I would refer to the deceased unless I was aware of a particular sensitivity in the culture or context.
text: The deceased was a very generous man.
text: Some might suggest the dear departed
text: but I find this archaic and a little patronising.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/588/Ed Guiness
score: 8
sents: text: He's "Resting".
text: He's "Definitely Deceased".
text: He's "Passed On.
text: Is No more.
text: Has ceased to be.
text: Expired and gone to meet his maker.
text: A stiff!
text: Bereft of life, rests in peace!
text: His metabolic processes are now history.
text: He's off the twig, he's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible!
text: This is an EX-PERSON!"
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/4300/GWLlosa
score: 3
sents: text: Another option would be to say : " he passed away".
text: Like " he passed away in his sleep" .
text: As far I know..
text: The term "late" is used in a more formal settingalthough " died" is not a disrespectful word..
text: I think sometimes we tend to conjure a rather violent death
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/3584/Dharu Krish
score: 1
sents: text: Use the person's name, with "late" if you must make it clear they are dead.
text: I think the terms like "the deceased" are too impersonal.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/4776/Alex Trueman
score: 1
sents: text: "The departed" is a polite, formal expression that also works, and it's also a popular movie (though I never saw it).
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/12762/Mark
score: 1
sents: text: I think the only respectful way to refer to a person who has died is when we do not talk about body but we talk about person's ideas, love, theories which has made impact in our lives.
text: Only body dies, not the person's contribution to the world.
text: That is why a "respectful way" is needed as an expression of thanks.
text: We can say that is person is "no more among us" which conveys the idea that we are referring to the soul which has traveled somewhere else leaving the body behind.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/86936/vikas
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
"Rest in Peace" should always be written as RIP and it should not be used as an adjective. Therefore, one cannot say "The rest in peace guy was a very generous man". You can instead use the word "late" if you are referring to the person's name or simply refer to them as "the deceased". 
There are several ways of referring to the dead. The word "late" can be used if you use the person's name, and is a respectful and business-like form. However, "rest-in-peace" should always be written as RIP and should not be used as an adjective. You cannot say the "rest-in-peace guy...". However, you could say  "(name of person) may his gentle soul rest in peace".  Another alternative is the use the word "the deceased" to reference to dead person. Equally, "while alive" could be used to mention the person's achievements when they were alive. There is also the expression "Dear Departed," but this is quite old-fashioned and not used much.
"Rest in Peace" should always be written as RIP and it should not be used as an adjective. Therefore, one cannot say "The rest in peace guy was a very generous man". You can instead use the word "late" if you are referring to the person's name or simply refer to them as "the deceased". 
The late [name]' would be the most polite, although 'the decesased/departed' could also be used where not considered too impersonal. 'Rest in peace' cannot be used as an ajective and cannot refer to the person themselves.
The late, departed, or deceased are polite, formal expressions used to describe a person who has died. 
A more common way to refer to the recently deceased is to refer to them by name with the word "late" before their name. It is also possible to use the terms "the deceased" or "the departed".