Valerie Burgher, Former 'Voice' Reporter, Killed by Train

Valerie Burgher, who had written for the Voice and several other publications, was hit by a train in a Brooklyn subway station last Wednesday. She was 34 years old and had struggled with bipolar disorder. Her memorial service was held this afternoon in Little Neck, New York.

A former intern at the Voice, Burgher went on to cover city politics for the paper. In his column Journal-isms, Richard Prince quotes novelist Colson Whitehead as saying:

"Valerie was a sweet and beautiful soul and we were lucky to know her. Some of the best times of my life were spent with her at the Village Voice, as our group of young writers learned the ropes together. Her struggles with her illness were a real tragedy."

Our sympathies go out to Burgher's family, who request that instead of flowers, donations in her memory be sent to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. See Prince's column (link above) for more details.