what happens to all the facebook profiles of the deceased?

[Amy]

does facebook delete them?
do they stay up there forever as a kind of memorial?

[biglildan]

I suggest you contact a facebook administrator and ask them if the account needs an occasional login to not be deactivated. If it does, ask if they can automate it. I forgot once that hotmail deletes (or used to delete) messages if the account is not accessed every month, so when I had a friend pass away their stuff was gone.....

[Kenny Z]

Facebook does not delete them because there isn't a way for it to know that the person is dead. I knew a kid who died, and after that, his facebook page was still there but unacessable to other people because his parents must have done something. Other times their relatives will just delete them or leave them up there.

[Rachel]

Facebook doesn't know but a profile can be deleted by a person if they want