What should the family do about the credit card debt of their deceased brother?

In Canadian Law if your brother left a Will then whatever he has in his Estate will be Probated and ALL creditors will be paid off first and the residue of that Estate will go to any heirs in that Will. If you brother left no Will (minor or in their 20s - 30s) then you are still not responsible for his credit card debt, but if he has a wife then yes, she could well be expected to pay for this debt. * In the US all debts are included in the deceased estate and are handled according to the probate laws of the state in which the person was a resident at the time of his or her death. Surviving family members are not responsible for any debts of a deceased person unless they are a joint account holder or have accepted the responsibility through a written (not verbal) agreement, such as medical bills, funeral expenses, and so forth. The exception in some instances is a surviving spouse when the couple resided in a community property state. Likewise, family members are not legally obligated to communicate with creditors of the deceased unless they choose to do so or are the administrator of the estate.