We know we don't KNOW our favorite TV characters, as in really know them, but somehow we can still erupt in tears and convulsions when they're taken away from us. And there's a special type of sadness reserved for the moment a beloved small-screen character dies. Sure, we'll see the actor or actress again shortly, but never again will they deliver a witty one-liner, withering blow, or laugh their contagious laugh. At least, until the reruns. Not every TV character's death will leave a chasm in your life, though. Nor will it make you feel like you've lost a close and personal friend. When Gus Fring died in Breaking Bad (this is just the first of MANY spoilers that are about to go down, for those of you enjoying major shows in streaming form), it was shocking, yes. Did it completely gut you? Probably not.
The TV characters discussed here left an irreplaceable void both the world of the show and for fans. It goes without saying, but MASSIVE, HUMONGOUS SPOILERS AHEAD. You've been warned.
Cue up this song, then read on to reminisce about the TV characters we've loved and lost. But, really. There are death spoilers in here.
This slideshow contains graphic images.
Denny Duquette, Grey's Anatomy
He literally got a new heart in a transplant, and he figuratively helped Izzie Stevens find hers. Unfortunately, he died of a stroke later on.
Charlie Pace, Lost
Charlie began the show as a self-involved former rockstar and recovering addict, and his journey on the island involved him becoming a healthier, more well-adjusted, kinder person. In the end, he sacrificed himself so that others could survive.
Marissa Cooper, The O.C.
Mischa Barton spoiled her character's death before the episode aired, but it was still hard to watch Ryan hold Marissa in his arms while she died from injuries sustained in a car accident.
Ned Stark, Game of Thrones
The Starks were the good guys in season 1, with patriarch Eddard "Ned" Stark serving as the moral and ethical voice of reason in King's Landing. His beheading at the hand of the new King Joffreywas one of the instigating incidents in the war over the Iron Throne, which would also lead to the horrifying deaths of Ned's wife, son, daughter-in-law, and unborn grandchild at the Red Wedding.
Henry Saracen, Friday Night Lights
"The Son," the episode in which Matt Saracen deals with the death of his father, whom he disliked and felt abandoned by, is one of the series' finest. "I just want to tell him to his face that I hate him, but he doesn't even have a face," Matt laments to Coach Taylor.
Violet Harmon, American Horror Story
Perhaps even more upsetting than her death is the fact that Violet was quickly resurrected as a ghost in the murder house — and she didn't even realize she had died from swallowing all of those pills until Tate took her to see her corpse.
Will Gardner,The Good Wife
Fans knew that Josh Charles' contract on TGW had run out, and that Julianna Margulies asked him to stay for a few additional episodes. What no one predicted was how Charles' big exit would involve his character, Will Gardner, being gunned down in a courtroom by a mentally ill client.
Jen Lindley, Dawson’s Creek
The series finale of Dawson's Creek flashed forward five years to reveal that Jen was now a mother! That would've been fine, right? Wrong. The show then had to destroy all of us by having Jen die of an undiagnosed heart condition, and making sure she recorded a gut-wrenching video message for her daughter before passing away.
Lane Pryce, Mad Men
A partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Lane hanged himself in his office after it was discovered he'd embezzled company funds. Don, Roger, and Pete were greeted with his lifeless body the next morning.
Mrs. Hobbes, Sex and the City
The four central characters' families didn't play a large role in their lives on Sex and the City, so Miranda's mother's unexpected passing serves as an impetus for Charlotte, Samantha, Miranda, and Carrie to deal with grief and loss in their own lives. In the process, they all discover previously unknown facets of themselves.
Seymour Asses, Futurama
Seymour was a stray dog Fry found and adopted, and the two were best friends. When Fry was accidentally cryogenically frozen, Seymour tried to lead his family to the lab to rescue him, but they didn't listen. In a particularly heartbreaking episode, it's revealed that Seymour waited 12 years for his best friend to return. One day, the pooch laid down and simply never woke up, and Fry discovers his fossilized body a millennium later.
Hank Schrader,Breaking Bad
It was never going to end well for the DEA agent with a strong moral code whose brother-in-law became a meth kingpin. When Walt begs for the white supremacist gang to spare Hank's life in the desert, Hank already knows it's too late. He's resigned to his fate, and Walt just has to watch his grisly murder.
Maude Flanders, The Simpsons
Poor Maude, mowed down by a T-shirt cannon meant for Homer.
Matthew Crawley, Downton Abbey
Actor Dan Stevens had asked to be written off the show, but did he have to depart in such a gruesome manner? His character died in a car accident on the way back from meeting his newborn son, George. We weren't emotionally ready for it...at all.
Merle Dixon, The Walking Dead
Rick chained Merle to a rooftop in Atlanta, and we all figured he became a walker's dinner. Nope. The resilient and painfully resourceful Merle sawed off his own hand and took refuge with the Governor. He was eventually reunited with his brother Daryl only to be killed by the Governor, and then shot again by his brother after turning into a walker. Nobody said post-apocalyptic life was easy.
Mr. Hooper, Sesame Street
After the beloved Sesame Street storekeeper passed away, the show used it as an opportunity to teach children about death by having Big Bird mourn his friend in this moving tribute.
J.T. Yorke, Degrassi: The Next Generation
He was stabbed by a student from a rival high school, and the entire Degrassi crew came together to mourn the loss of their friend.
Joyce Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy is heartbroken when she arrives home to find her mother's lifeless body on the sofa after she passed away from a brain tumor.
Adriana La Cerva, The Sopranos
After she admitted to becoming an FBI informant to her mobster fiance, his crew had her executed in the woods by made-man Silvio Dante.
Coach Ernie Pantusso, Cheers
Actor Nicholas Colasanto passed away after a heart attack, and Cheers' creators decided to write his character out of the show. He was replaced by Woody Harrelson, playing a young bartender named Woody Boyd, and other characters frequently mentioned Coach in loving memory.
Nate Fisher, Six Feet Under
Even though it was a show about death, no one was prepared for Nate Fisher's untimely demise following surgery for a brain condition. The Fisher family members' various reactions to his death — especially during that hard-to-watch burial scene — were just as gut-wrenching.
Rita Morgan,Dexter
Shortly after Dexter realizes his love for his family is becoming more important to him than his need to kill, he comes home to find Rita dead in the bathtub. Their son Harrison sits on the floor next to his mother's lifeless body, sobbing in a pool of blood, in a scene that mirrors what happened to Dexter after his own mother's death.
Felix Turner, The Normal Heart
Watching Felix's body waste away from AIDS is heartbreaking, as is the final scene in the hospital where Ned and Felix declare their love for one another before Felix passes away.
Omar Little, The Wire
Shot at a convenience store. RIP.
Zeek Braverman,Parenthood
Like most Jason Katims dramas, Parenthood had the ability to reduce us to tears in almost every episode. Whether or not patriarch Zeek would die was kind of a foregone conclusion for the show's final season, but it still cut viewers to the core when it happened.
Edith Bunker, Archie Bunker’s Place
Edith suffered a fatal stroke in her sleep, and a heartbroken Archie Bunker, who wasn't known for his ability to expression emotion, delivered this extremely poignant speech. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the first one to go. I always used to kid you about you going first. You know I never meant none of that and that morning when yous was laying there. I was shaking you and yelling at you to go down and fix my breakfast. I didn't know. You had no right to leave me that way, without giving me just one more chance to say I love you."
Paul Hennessy, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
After actor John Ritter tragically passed away at the age of 54, his character on the show collapsed and died while buying milk. He was replaced by David Spade, but the show just wasn't the same after its beloved star's passing.
Lizzie, The Walking Dead
She may not have been the most friendly, lovable, or sweet-natured young person in the TWD universe, but she did have some badass potential. Carol's decision to take out the borderline sociopathic girl was mostly heartbreaking for what it did to Carol — and continues to do to her conscience well into season 6.
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