The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths

06/05/2012 12:00 pm by

[Editor's note: There are a ton of spoilers in this post, obviously. If you haven't seen last Sunday's Mad Men yet, move on. If you are planning on eventually catching up on several seasons of LOST, Grey's Anatomy, ER, The Wire, The West Wing, Dexter, The O.C., or Good Times, you should probably know there's a statute of limitations on these kinds of things. Especially Good Times.]

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I’m far too emotionally attached to fictional characters. I admit it, and I really make no apologies for it. Relationships, weddings, divorces, births, near-death experiences. They all affect me—deeply.

And don’t even get me started on the deaths because I have even, in the past, gone so far as to quit a show for killing off a beloved character (I’m looking at you, ER and your stupid Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version of “Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World.”) And then, you know, there was the very first character death I can remember—Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street. (May he rest in peace.)

So, when Mad Men, in its 5th season penultimate episode, went and killed off the likable and super complex Lane Pryce, a character who I have grown to appreciate and love, I was devastated. In fact, I’m still thinking about it today. I am still shaking my head in complete disbelief.

And I’m still thinking about these ten devastating TV character deaths—days, weeks, months, and even years later.

1. Dr. Mark Greene, ER.

Oh, Mark, the heart and soul of ER. He left the hospital in Chicago and went to spend his final days in Hawaii. “Mark died this morning at 6:04 a.m. The sun was rising: his favorite time of day. I sent this on so that you might know he was thinking of you all and that he appreciated knowing you would remember him well.” Right through the heart.
 
2. Wallace, The Wire
The Wire had so many death scenes that destroyed me down to my core—Stringer Bell, Bodie, Frank Sobotka, Omar, Snoop. But Wallace, man. That death. Bodie and Poot following orders to kill their friend because he didn’t have what it took to be a good soldier, because he was still just a kid. The scene was so difficult to watch, so impossible to forget.
poot and bodie kill wallace The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
3. Charlie, LOST
In order for Claire and Aaron to be saved, Charlie had to die. It was his fate, according to Desmond. Charlie knew, heading into the mission to turn off the jammer, that it was somewhat of a suicide mission. He managed to disable the jammer and get a message to Desmond—that the boat was not Penny’s—seconds before his death. Haunting and heroic ending for the Drive Shaft singer.
Charlie Pace not pennys boat dies LOST 600x338 The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
4. Jin and Sun, LOST
We waited on the edge of our seats for a Jin and Sun reunion, and then when we were handed that wonderful little romantic gift, the LOST writers went and took it away just one episode later. They brought the two back together just so they could die together. After the sub flooded and Sun was pinned down, unable to escape, Jin stayed with her, tells her they would never be apart, and drowns with the love of his life, holding her hand. It was all very Titanic-esque. I felt so angry, so sad, and so cheated all at the same time.
jin and sun die LOST The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths

5. Mrs. Landingham, The West Wing

The beauty of Mrs. Landingham was that she could tell her boss what was what, which is funny, considering that her boss was the President of the United States. President Josiah Bartlet had nothing but respect for his sassy, no-nonsense personal secretary, and we could pretty much feel the devastation that he felt when he found out that she was killed by a drunk driver while on her way to the White House to show her boss her brand new car. I was just as shocked as the president was—I still am.
Mrs. landingham the west wing dies The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
6. Rita, Dexter
Rita’s death was so unexpected for me, until I slowly started putting the pieces together and figured out what Trinity was doing. And then, seeing the shot of little Harrison surrounded by all the blood—paralleling the scene where his own father, Dexter, is surrounded by his mother’s blood—just wrecked me completely. “Born in blood, both of us,” says Dexter’s voiceover. I didn’t even like Rita at all. In fact, I often hoped that she’d be written out of the show. But not like this. No.
Dexter Rita Dies 600x405 The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
7. Lexie Grey, Grey’s Anatomy
Lexie Grey died in the first 20 minutes of this season’s finale. I am still upset about this. I was a huge fan of hers and I absolutely loved that she and Mark were finally on the road to reconciliation. “I’ve always been in love with you. I’ll always be in love with you.” I mean…REALLY? Heartbreaking. Grey’s Anatomy continues to disappoint me every single season and then continues to keep me coming back—it’s like magic, I tell you. But, I don’t know. I might be done. This may have been my “Mark Greene Moment.”
Lexie Grey Dies Season Finale Greys Anatomy The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
8. Denny, Grey’s Anatomy
Denny’s death, even though we all clearly  saw it coming from the moment we met him, shocked us to our cores when he died suddenly from a blood clot just after proposing to the love of his life. That moment—the one where a bawling Izzie got into bed in her full prom dress, hair, and makeup—will haunt us for years to come.
Denny Duquette Dies Greys Anatomy The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
9. James Evans, Good Times
James Evans…always trying to keep his head above water, and, well, making a wave when he could. All kidding aside, though, the death of James Evans was a tough one for me. I absolutely loved Good Times and even though the family patriarch always seemed to fall on the unlucky side of things, his fierce love for his family was so evident, his strong desire for them to succeed everywhere he wasn’t able to was so clear in every episode. And then, bam, car accident. Gutted.
James Evans Good Times Dies The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
10. Marissa Cooper, The O.C.
Shortly after Marissa Cooper and Ryan Atwood graduated from Harbor High School—after a tumultuous three seasons filled with booze, drugs, comas, attempted rapes, crazy stalkers, depression, shoplifting, shooting, deaths, tragic breakups—the two were driven from the road by an unhappy acquaintance. Ryan was able to pull Marissa from the fiery car, but she still died in his arms as Imogen Heap sang a haunting cover of “Hallelujah.” The O.C. was never the same without Marissa.
Ryan Atwood Marissa Cooper Death The Ten Most Devastating TV Character Deaths
What about you? Which TV character’s deaths shocked you, upset you, or made you weep? 
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About Ali Martell

When Ali isn't writing her Seinfeld-esque drivel over at her personal site, Cheaper Than Therapy, or writing about fashion on her YummyMummyClub.ca blog From Hemlines to Heels, she is giving Buffy the Vampire Slayer a chance, laughing maniacally at the absurdity of 50 Shades of Grey, and trying to stop the world from wearing leggings as pants.

Filed Under: Best Of MamaPop, Top 10(ish) List, TV Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,


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  • kelly

    Gary on thirtysomething !!! devastating!

    • http://www.alimartell.com/ Ali

      SO many people on Twitter said Gary. Now it makes me think I need to watch it…since clearly I’m the only person who never did!

  • http://twitter.com/cest_alex Alex

    Oh dear God, Dr. Greene’s death.  I read the title of this post and immediately thought of this.   That episode aired in what, 2002?  I was still in high school and to this day I would cite it as the biggest emotional breakdown I’ve ever had over a TV character death.

  • Snarky_Amber

    I am tearing up just thinking about Dr. Greene’s death. I tuned in for his final episode despite not having watched the show in years, and I still cried like someone in my immediate family had died.

    My list would include Omar (HATE YOU FOREVER, FUCKING KENARD) and D’Angelo, as well as Wallace, from The Wire; Laverne on Scrubs, Adriana on The Sopranos, and Ned Stark on Game of Thrones. 

    • http://www.alimartell.com/ Alimartell

      Adriana was on my original list and got scrapped in the end. Also Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under.

      ALSO. D’Angelo. OMG. 

      • Snarky_Amber

        OMG NATE’S DEATH. Actually, I didn’t cry over Nate so much as everyone else’s reactions. Brenda’s anger is so real and raw and justified; Ruth has lost her baby…Oh man. And don’t even get me started on the last episode because just talking about that sends me into a sob-spiral.

  • AfricaBoobJuice

    Lt. Col. Henry Blake on M*A*S*H.  I still cry every single time I watch that episode.

  • http://janasthinkingplace.com/ Jana A (@jana0926)

    Would it be ridiculous if I started tearing up when reading about Charlie’s death on LOST? Oh, it just kills me to think about. 

    • http://www.alimartell.com/ alimartell

      I KNOW. 

  • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

    1. ___’s death in Buffy – don’t want to spoil them for you, Ali!
    2. ___’s death in Buffy.
    3. ___’s death in Buffy.
    4. Wesley’s death in Angel.
    5. Fred’s death in Angel.
    6. Wash’s death in Serenity (okay, not a TV show, but related!)
    7. That one character in ER who was an intern in the first couple of seasons and he got run over by a train and they beeped him and his beeper went off on the table.
    8.  The old lady who played Mrs. Landingham, in the Scrubs episode.
    9.  Perry Cox’s BIL, played by Brendan Fraser, in Scrubs.
    10.  Cally from Battlestar Galactica.
    11. Billy from BG.
    12. Dee from BG.
    13. Ellen Tigh from BG.
    14. Susan from Seinfeld.
    15. Drea in The Sopranos
    16. Teri Bauer in 24.
    17. Jimmy Darmody’s wife, Boardwalk Empire
    18. Big Pussy in The Sopranos
    19. Vito in The Sopranos
    20. Chris Moltisanti in The Sopranos

    • Snarky_Amber

      OMG, how could I forget Buffy? Every non-demon/non bad guy death on that show made me bawl. The worst is “The Body.” That episode sends me to the edge of despair. I also cried when [principle character] lost his/her [important body part].

      • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

        Yes!  ”The Body” as an episode made me cry, but the three I was talking about was when [girl] got shot, [girl] got killed in the finale and [boy] died in the finale after kissing [girl].

        • http://www.alimartell.com/ Alimartell

          I WILL get there, I swear. 
          I don’t care about spoilers, though. It think it has been too long to stay unspoiled, yanno?

          • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

            I don’t know how far you’ve gotten, but get ready at some point to lose Joyce Summers, Tara, Anya, and Spike.  Oh, and Buffy.

        • Snarky_Amber

          Those three yes. Also when [girl] dies in the season 5 finale. THE TOMBSTONE. I can’t even deal with that epitaph without blubbering. *sigh* I love that show.

          • http://www.alimartell.com/ Alimartell

            Somebody said on Twitter yesterday that Buffy’s death…the second time…was devastating. I am intrigued. 

          • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

            Good – intrigued means you’ll keep watching! :)

          • Snarky_Amber

            Honestly, that show is so good even if you have spoilers it’s worth it.

        • http://profiles.google.com/jenn.w.fox Jenn Fox

          The Body was such a devastatingly beautifully shot episode.  I am so with you about the other three deaths as well.

      • http://twitter.com/palinode palinode

        You mean when [Giles] lost his [penis]? Sure, it was sad, but there was an element of comedy in there.

        • Snarky_Amber

          Oh Aidan, I sure do miss you.

    • http://lisasff.wordpress.com/ Lisa

      OMG!  They killed WASH!!!  The movie was like a long episode.  It should count.

    • http://twitter.com/palinode palinode

      Chris’ death in The Sopranos wasn’t devastating in the sense that, say, a Whedonverse death seeks to devastate. But holy shit was it bleak.

    • http://www.sweetney.com Sweetney

      Adam, you’re a gentleman. :)

    • Hollypainyo

      Both Wes and Fred’s deaths on Angel cause preemptive crying fits for me any time I’ve seen either episode since. It’ll be a good twenty minutes before the scene and I’m already sniffling while my boyfriend looks over and goes, “seriously? It’s the opening credits!” 

      What makes me hate-love Joss Whedon so much is that I know these things are going to happen well before they do (like the Dollhouse finale for example) but I still end up bawling into the arm of my couch every. single. time.

  • http://www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com/ Heather

    I am not gonna lie….I was pretty happy about Marissa Cooper’s death. She sucked. 

    • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

      I never watched the OC, but I love the “Dear Sister” digital short from SNL that mocked her death.  
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vmd1qMN5Yo0 

    • http://www.alimartell.com/ Alimartell

      I kind of hated her…but I was devastated FOR RYAN. Also…the song…and the scene…just..omg. 

  • http://twitter.com/ryenerman ryenerman

    Jesus, Wallace’s death in The Wire haunts me to this day and it was years ago.  Also Rita’s death – not really that she was off the show because she irked, but that scene with Harrison in her blood gave me the chills, heartbreaking. 

    Jin and Sun, however, just irked the hell out of me because I was (and still am evidently) totally incapable of getting past the fact that they had a 3 year old child and yet Jin chose to stay and die.  I would have told my husband to get the hell out and back to our child – if he stayed I’d die mad at him.  Ruined the whole thing for me.  Bah!

    • http://diefrau.blogspot.in/ die Frau

       YES. I was so angry that Jin chose to stay instead of going to take care of his daughter, whom he’d never seen. He could have told her about her mommy, how brave she was….Instead, the poor kid will probably be raised by her creep grandfather. So pissed.

      I do realize these aren’t real people.

  • Beckie

    Adriana and Vito from the Sopranos.  I knew Adriana couldn’t live after what she did – but I still loved her.  And just think of all the unity Vito could have brought to the families!!!  Also Bobby’s death hurt too – the man just wanted to play with his trains!!

    I got a little teary when reading about Dr. Greene (I still hear that song in my head when I think about him)  but full on crying once I got to Lexi and Denny!  Words can’t express how strange it is that I feel such a loss over fictional tv characters.  Just glad to know I’m not alone!

     

    • Snarky_Amber

      Ade was THE WORST. I don’t think any whacking on The Sopranos hit me like her. I knew Tony couldn’t let her live – she was a rat! – but the whole time I hoped he would let her just disappear.

  • Ccjs11

    Hotch’s wife on Criminal Minds. Not so much because she died, but that he was on the phone with her and knew his little boy was at the mercy of a psycho as well.

    • issascrazyworld

      Oh good god yes. That one was horrible.

    • Msdmw75

      Oh ya. “Work the case”, I think was what Hotch said.

    • Msdmw75

      Oh ya. “Work the case”, I think was what Hotch said.

  • Snarky_Amber

    Ade was THE WORST. I don’t think any whacking on The Sopranos hit me like her. I knew Tony couldn’t let her live – she was a rat! – but the whole time I hoped he would let her just disappear.

  • Snarky_Amber

    I also just remembered: Shane killing Lem on The Shield. That destroyed me.

  • http://twitter.com/palinode palinode

    This may be one of the original devastating TV deaths: Henry Blake’s off-screen demise at the end of the third season of MASH. He gets on a plane to go home to his life, and in the last moments of the episode Radar O’Reilly comes in to the operating room and announces that Blake’s plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. The shocked silence in the room is genuine: none of the actors (aside from Gary Burghoff, obviously) knew that the character was scripted to die.

    Then of course, there was the death of the “chicken” in the series finale.

  • http://twitter.com/palinode palinode

    Also, Cordelia on Angel. The path to her death is twisty and strange, but once you get there it rips your heart out.

    • http://www.avitable.com Avitable

      I was done with her by the time she died, actually – Cordelia’s death didn’t really do much for me.

      I just remember all the doppelganger’s deaths in that alternate Buffy universe – those were powerful, even though it wasn’t the real universe.

  • http://profiles.google.com/jenn.w.fox Jenn Fox

    Oh yes, the “chicken” . . . how could I forget that heartbreaking twist.

  • http://www.sweetney.com Sweetney

    “Not Penny’s Boat” still gives me chills. /nerdery

  • http://www.sweetney.com Sweetney

    Also, I agree with Wallace, but c’mon: OMAAAAAAR!

    • Snarky_Amber

      Kenard is second ONLY to Joffrey on my Fictional Kids I’d Like To Drown list. 

  • http://twitter.com/txtingmrdarcy Brooke Shelby

    !!! ER! When Carter and Lucy got stabbed by the psychopath in season 6, and Lucy died… Ugh. And when Romano was killed by the helicopter after just learning to use his prosthetic arm…  Damn you ER, for making me feel all the things.

    • Jill S

      Yeah, Lucy was the first one I thought of when I saw the post.  Horrific and surprising.

    • KatiGardner

      I also agree about Lucy…

      My roommate didn’t watch ER but I made her watch one episode with me.  The one where Ramano got crushed by the helicopter.  She seriously suffered PTSD from it.

  • issascrazyworld

    DAMMIT ALI MARTEL YOU SPOILED IT ALL!!!!!

  • issascrazyworld

    Hehehehe. I couldn’t resist that one above. 

    Lexi makes me sad. Seriously. Then again? It wasn’t as hard as Denny or George. Poor 007. This will tell you how lame I am…but Prue on Charmed. That one killed me. 

    When they killed Emily on Criminal Minds. (Course she wasn’t really dead and now she’s leaving the show for good, but still.)

    I have more, I’m sure of it. OOOOOHHHHH Good Francie on Alias. 

  • Marcy

     I think the TV death that made me the most sad was Dr. Greene’s on ER.  It was just the most touching way to send him off.  I cried and cried and cried.  I still get misty when I hear “Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World” because I am right back there in that sad moment. In fact, whenever that song comes on, if I can turn it off, I do!

    Second to Dr. Greene’s death would be Gary from Thirtysomething.  The characters (and the show) were never the same after that.  If you’ve never watched it, I recommend you try to see it somehow.  My most favorite episode was Ellyn’s wedding. 

  • KatiGardner

    I cried and cried and cried when Dr. Greene died.  The show just wasn’t the same once he left. And Elizabeth’s reaction and trying to work again after his death? All of it was just SO REAL.

    Does it count that I also cried when Carter’s son was stillborn? I cried a lot in that episode.Charlie still gets me.  All of the above mentioned Buffy deaths still pull at my stomach in a way that is really dreadful.  I’m in the process of re-watching the series but I might have to skip a few because I can’t emotionally go there again.

  • http://twitter.com/Avath Avath

    A TV death that shook me to my core was George from Grey’s. Sweet George. He shared that one scene with Yang once that really expressed how I felt about my dad’s death (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub21sp-zru0 if anyone wants to cry a little more).

    Lexie just enraged me. We were promised so much by Shonda and given so little. I loved Lexie. I hope they don’t treat her death like they did George’s – mentioned in the first episode and then almost never again. I love Grey’s and have been hooked on it like crack for years but I am so angry they killed Lexie that I don’t know if I will watch anymore.

    • Whitney923

       Yes. George.  I didn’t see it coming, and I didn’t realize it was him, and then with 007 reference.  I cried and cried and texted all my besties that I loved them.  No matter what evil Grey’s perpetrates, George and Denny still break my heart.  Actually, with Denny, it was Alex picking up Izzie and carrying her away that made me lose my mind.

  • Franca

    You’re all very young.

    Edith Bunker.

  • SuzyQuzey

    Dr. Greene! Mrs. Landingham! Col. Blake! Sun and Jin! Gary! Nate!

    Oh, so much sadness in one post. I am a sucker for a good fictional death.

    After the episode of Dr. Greene’s death (SOB!), the ER episode that also makes me cry every time is “Love’s Labor Lost.” Just try to watch that and not lose your shit.

    I agree with Amber in that the last episode of Six Feet Under totally gutted me.

  • http://tm2ts.sarahsmidnightfantasy.com/ SarahCB1208

    Kate Todd on NCIS. I still can’t watch those episodes after.

    John Ritter’s death, how it was so beautifully portrayed in 8 Simple Rules. That whole rest of the season gets me bawling. Hell, tearing up right now, thinking about it.

    • issascrazyworld

      Oh yes. On both. Kate was a horrible one.

      John was doubly horrible. Because he was really gone. 

  • http://diefrau.blogspot.in/ die Frau

     All I can say is, fellow NCIS watchers, if what happened on the season finale adds a person to this list, I will never forgive the writers. BAWLED while saying, “No, no, no” over and over again.

    • Erika Laurent

      OMG.  Felt the same way and then did some snooping.  

      spoilers be damned, I HAD to know!!

      • http://diefrau.blogspot.in/ die Frau

         Did the same after your comment.

  • twobusy

    Jimmy Smits on NYPD Blue. Agonizing, despite (or perhaps because) we knew it was inevitable.

    Btw: GREAT call on Rita from Dexter. That one absolutely floored me.

  • MollyGMartin

    Can’t top Mrs. Lanningham.  The speech in the chapel still gives me goosebumps.

  • Tyskkvinna

    I am still caught up thinking about Lane. :(

  • Erika Laurent

    Ned Stark!!

    I read the book, KNEW it was going to happen and STILL bawled angry tears.

  • Myrtle

    Greg Pratt on ER. I had not watched the show for a few years and turned this episode on. Bawled.

  • http://www.lookingatfrema.com/ Frema

    Charlie and LOST = YES. And Jin and Sun. And Jack.

    Terri Bauer’s death in the first season of 24. That poor woman.

    Frema, @mrsfrema

  • funkymama1

    Ned Stark, GoT.  I read the book, knew it was coming, still thought they wouldn’t do it.  Denial!

    ‘Not Penny’s Boat’ gives me chills. 

    Great list you came up with!

  • thedoseofreality

    Swear to God, I got to the picture of Denny and Izzie, and I started crying all over again. Jesus. I guess that wound has still not healed.
    And Mark on ER is the sole reason that if I ever have a terminal disease I am totally dying in Hawaii.

  • http://www.youtube.com/KPopp KPopp

    Oh, Marissa Cooper.  Girl had issues.  I couldn’t stand her character, but Imogean Heap’s version of “Hallelujah” made that scene so much more heart-wrenching.