If you do nothing, the deceased’s account will be removed by the folks at LinkedIn after being inactive for at least six months.

However, it’s easy to cancel the account.  You don’t have to be the next of kin or executor; in fact, you don’t even have to be a blood relative.  A friend or coworker can do it.

LinkedIn recently updated their procedure and now indicates all of the steps on their website.    Go to http://www.linkedin.com/and click on the link to Customer Service at the bottom of the page.   A list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) will appear.  Look for the one which says “Form: Verification of Death”.  Just complete the form and then follow the directions on how to return it.

If, instead, you just want to get the deceased’s password, you’re out of luck.  Unless you have access to the deceased’s primary LinkedIn email account and can request that it be sent there, you will be unable to receive a password for the account.

To learn more about how to handle online accounts once someone has died, get our book “Grave Robbers…How to prevent identity theft of the deceased.”