What to say if someone you didn't know passed away tragically?

Just say "I heard about your (mom,dad,grandma,friend,etc) passing away.I'm so sorry for your loss" and then give them a hug and leave it at that.The worst thing people do is not talk to someone who has lost another or treat them different.If you know the person who died you can help someone through their loss by talking about memories of things they used to say or do such as " I remember when So&So..." Or "Every time I saw So&So he/she always said or did something to make me laugh" Things like that help the person hurting remember good times and even if they begin to cry just let them because it's part of the healing process.Hold their hand or put an arm around their shoulder to show you are there for support.