Are you good at delivering bad news?

I don't like to tell people bad news.

Today, I totally f'ed up. I saw a friend and asked her if she had seen the news reports about our mutual friend's grandfather being killed. She had seen the reports, but did not realize who it was. So, there I was casually telling her about this, and she took it way harder than I ever dreamed she would. I feel like shit right now.

I would, but if I don't have to....then I won't. I remember when my uncle passed away about 8 yrs ago. He got shot and we all thought he was going to make it. My grandmother called my father's house to tell him, but he wasn't home and she told me that he passed. I didn't want to tell him, so I called my dad and told him that his mother said to call her and she could relay the news to him. He was very close to my uncle and I knew the news would make him very upset. I didn't want to be the one to break it to him, even though I knew before it he did. I let her tell him.

I can & have but would rather not.

No. I'll merrily tell someone I dislike that their car was towed, that they aren't invited to the party, that they can clean out their office because they're fired....that sort of thing....but I'm not the one to have to tell someone their loved one died.