Who better than the Associated Press – which has already prepared a death notice for Britney Spears – to lead the discussion on pre-written obituaries for young people?

The wire's John Rogers is on the case, quoting, ahem, the AP's sports managing editor Lou Ferrara, who says Anna Nicole Smith's death was a "wake-up call" for media to prepare reports for wild high-profile types, no matter how young.

The AP did not have a pre-written obituary for Smith. They have roughly 1,000 prepared, though few are for people younger than 70.

Famed Washington Post obit scribe Adam Bernstein says he doesn't believe his paper carries any obit for someone younger than 30. (Spears is 26.) The Los Angeles Times's obit editor, Jon Thurber, says they have about 400 prepared; Spears isn't among them.

So what's the ethical boundary for preparing a celebrity's obituary, even if they're too young to run for Senate? Likely, a paper's motivation to be first – and accurate – will outweigh the sicko test. As it should.