Fred Phelps is dead

He was a vile and disgusting person, but do you think it's right to speak ill of the dead?

Yes. Being dead doesn't really give you some immunity from what you did while you were alive. If you did bad things, people are going to say bad things about you, even after you are dead. While you do have to look at both sides, being dead doesn't mean people should turn a blind eye because it is "rude" to speak ill of the dead. And that is usually on a smaller level and doesn't apply to any public figure.

Hitler.