Do I Need to X My Deceased Ex? EUGENE, SIR:An ex of mine succumbed to cancer late last year. We were together for three years about 11 years ago, but we remained in contact. Not a lot of contact, but a few times a year we emailed each other. My current partner complains about me being sad that my ex has died: “If you loved him so much, why didn’t it work out?” That sort of thing.