ALL MY CHILDREN
After a battle with lung cancer, Frances Heflin (far left) died in June 1994; Erica Kane’s mother Mona died peacefully in her sleep that August.
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IN MEMORIAM
How 40+ TV Shows Have Handled the Death of a Cast Member
A TV showrunner can anticipate or plan for any number of things, such as a cast member walking away from a role that he/she has long inhabited. But the sudden, tragic death of a key player is something one never can, or wants to, expect.
In recent years, FXX’s Archer, Max’s And Just Like That…, Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and BBC One’s Peaky Blinders have been among the shows to account for the absence that had been created by a cast member’s real-life passing. Fox’s The Cleaning Lady is the latest series to do so, following the unexpected death of leading man Adan Canto.
In such an unfortunate scenario, TV series over the years have opted for one of a handful of approaches, including sending the character “out of town,” having him/her die off-screen, or even trying the (very) rare recast.
TVLine has rounded up more than 40 instances from over the decades and up through to The Cleaning Lady’s own tough call, which came a few episodes into its third season. The list is extensive but not intended to be comprehensive (nor does it include actors whose characters weren’t on the show at the time of their passing), so by all means chime in with any other sad send-offs that struck a chord with you.
Review the round-up below to revisit how more than 40 shows worked through (or sometimes simply braced for) the loss of a cast member.
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AND JUST LIKE THAT....
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ARCHER
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AS THE WORLD TURNS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Benjamin Hendrickson died of what was ruled a suicide in July 2006, and his final pre-taped scenes as Oakdale police detective Hal Munson aired a little over a week later. That October, it was revealed that Hal had died (off-screen) on the line of duty.
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, dial “988” for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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BARNEY MILLER
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THE BIG BANG THEORY
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THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Though Darlene Conley passed away in January 2007 amid reports of a battle with stomach cancer, the larger-than-life Sally Spectra lives on, off-screen, as she has since her portrayer’s death.
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CALL ME KAT
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox (inset: Everett Collection) The Mayim Bialik-led sitcom bade the late Leslie Jordan the classiest of goodbyes. In a fourth wall-shattering installment, country music legend Dolly Parton appeared to sing a verse from “Where the Soul Never Dies,” which she recorded with Jordan for his 2021 album Company’s Comin’. What followed was a montage of memories from the actor’s two-and-a-half seasons. But that wasn’t all. At the end of the episode, the rest of the cast broke character and gathered around Jordan’s set chair as Bialik said a few words. As for his on-screen character, he and Jalen bought a bakery on Tahiti and eventually got married in an off-screen ceremony attended by Kat, Max, Randi, Carter, Sheila and Larlene.
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CHEERS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection After being felled by complications from heart disease in February 1985, Nicholas Colasanto made his final appearance as “Coach” in the Season 3 finale. The following season’s premiere established Coach’s death, while introducing his pen pal Woody/new cast member Woody Harrelson.
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CHICO AND THE MAN
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THE CLEANING LADY
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox Leading man Adan Canto died of appendiceal cancer in January 2024, while production was underway on the Fox drama’s third season. Because the show’s writers had initially hoped to bring Canto back later in Season 3 after he’d completed treatment, his character, Arman Morales, was initially kidnapped in the season premiere and left offscreen, whereabouts unknown, for several episodes. Ultimately, in the season’s sixth outing, Arman briefly returned (via CGI trickery) to be brought home by his captors, but he perished when the vehicle transporting him swerved and fell off a cliff.
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COVER UP
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection While filming the seventh episode of the CBS action-adventure drama, Jon-Erik Hexum between takes accidentally shot himself in the right temple with a blanks-loaded .44 Magnum; one long surgery and six days later, he was declared brain-dead. At first, Hexum’s character, Mac, was said to be away on another mission (and essentially replaced with a new agent played by Antony Hamilton); eventually, it was revealed that Mac was killed on an assignment.
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DALLAS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Jim Davis played family patriarch Jock Ewing through much of Season 4, until he died of multiple myeloma in April 1981. Miss Ellie’s husband was kept off screen for the next 13 episodes, and was ultimately killed in a helicopter crash during Season 5.
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DALLAS (TNT revival)
Image Credit: Courtesy of TNT Larry Hagman reprised his iconic role as J.R. Ewing right up until he succumbed to myeloid leukemia in November 2012, early into production of Season 2 of the TNT drama. J.R. appeared in several episodes of Season 2, then became the target of a murder mystery, in part thanks to some computer trickery using existing Hagman scenes.
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THE DISTRICT
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Lynne Thigpen’s run as Washington D.C. police chief aide Ella Farmer ended in spring 2003, when the actress (bottom left) suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Ella, in turn, died suddenly in a late Season 3 episode.
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EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection The ABC dramedy’s titular Bradford brood was originally parented by Dick Van Patten’s Tom and Diana Hyland’s Joan. When Hyland was diagnosed with breast cancer and it rapidly spread, and she died in March 1977, her character’s own death was written into Season 2, where widower Tom met and fell in love with Betty Buckley’s Abby.
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8 SIMPLE RULES
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection After John Ritter died as the result of an undiagnosed aortic dissection in September 2003, Season 2 of the ABC sitcom took a two-month hiatus, ultimately returning with a special “goodbye” episode in which his character, Paul, died offscreen. James Garner (as Katey Sagal’s TV dad) and David Spade (as cousin C.J.) filled the cast void, after which the show ran another season-and-a-half.
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GENERAL HOSPITAL
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GIMME A BREAK!
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection When Dolph Sweet died of cancer in May 1985, so did widower “Chief” Kanisky, leaving Nell Carter’s Nell to run the household for two more seasons.
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GLEE
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THE GOLDBERGS
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC George Segal died in March 2021, due to complications from bypass surgery. That fall, in the ABC comedy’s Season 9 premiere, it was revealed that Pops had months prior passed away quietly in his sleep.
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HILL STREET BLUES
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HOMELAND
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THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
Image Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video The November 2019 death of Brian Tarantina — who played Gaslight MC Jackie since the series’ launch — was addressed in Season 4’s third episode when viewers learned that Susie’s fastidious roommate and sparring partner died after suffering a massive stroke.
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MONK
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MURPHY BROWN (revival)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection During the 20 years that the sitcom was off the air, Robert Pastorelli died of a narcotic overdose, while Pat Corley was felled by congestive heart failure. Upon the series’ revival in fall 2018, it was established that perpetually employed painter Eldin (in an ill-fated run with the Pamplona bulls) and bar owner Phil had both passed on, with the latter’s sister (played by Tyne Daly) now slinging the suds.
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NCIS: LOS ANGELES
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NEWSRADIO
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Phil Hartman was tragically shot to death by his wife in May 1998, after production on Season 4 of the NBC workplace sitcom had wrapped. In the Season 5 opener, it was revealed that his Bill McNeal had died of a heart attack.
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NIGHT COURT
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection (2) This NBC comedy bid adieu to two successive bailiffs when Selma Diamond (who played Selma Hacker) and Florence Halop (as Florence Kleiner) each died of lung cancer, in May 1985 and July 1986, respectively. Marsha Warfield followed as bailiff Roz Russell, for Seasons 4 through 9.
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PASSIONS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Scene stealer Josh Ryan Evans (who had the appearance and voice of a small child due to achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism) died at age 20 in August 2002, from complications related to his congenital heart condition. In a sad coincidence, his character of Timmy died on-screen the very same day (though the plan had been to bring the character back after Evans recuperated from real-life surgery).
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PEAKY BLINDERS
Image Credit: Courtesy of BBC If filming on Season 6 had begun as originally planned, Helen McCrory — who played Aunt Polly to Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby (and is the wife of actor Damian Lewis) — would have been a part of it. But because her battle with cancer had taken a turn for the worse during the pandemic-related production delay (she died in April 2021), the BBC drama’s farewell run was rewritten.
As revealed in its Season 6 premiere, Aunt Polly had been killed (off-screen) by the IRA, as a consequence of her nephew’s actions after they tried to have Oswald Mosley assassinated. The on-screen farewell included the lighting of a gypsy caravan amid a three-minute-long silence.
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PETTICOAT JUNCTION
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection After missing a series of Season 5 episodes as she underwent treatment for lung cancer, Bea Benaderet (standing in photo), who played Kate Bradley, returned in time for that season’s finale. But when the actress’ cancer returned and it became clear she would not recover, voice-only work by Benaderet and a stand-in were used at first, after which the character was said to be out of town and only mentioned in passing. Meanwhile, June Lockhart was added as a new mother-figure character, Dr. Janet Craig.
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RIVERDALE
Image Credit: Courtesy of The CW Luke Perry passed away suddenly in March 2019 following a stroke, and Riverdale addressed his absence in that fall’s season premiere, with Perry’s Fred Andrews dying after being struck by a car while trying to help a stranded motorist. “Very early on, we landed on the idea that Fred should have a heroic death,” executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa explained. “It felt like that’s a way Fred could’ve gone.”
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RIZZOLI & ISLES
Image Credit: Courtesy of TNT Some 10 months after Lee Thompson Young died at age 29 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, one of the TNT drama’s first Season 5 episodes established that Detective Barry Frost had perished in a car accident, setting the stage for a funeral including a moving eulogy by his partner Jane.
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, dial “988” for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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ROSEANNE (revival)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Because Glenn Quinn had died in December 2002 (as the result of a heroin overdose), ABC’s early-2018 revival indicated that Mark had died from unspecified causes about a decade prior, right before Darlene and David’s namesake son was born. (During a Season 3 episode of The Conners, Mark’s widow Becky explained that her husband died in a freak motorcycle accident.)
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THE ROYAL FAMILY
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Redd Foxx’s big comeback vehicle came to a halt when the Sanford & Sons alum died of a very real heart attack in October 1991, early into the sitcom’s freshman run. A “reboot” of sorts, introducing 227’s Jackée Harry as an outrageous relative of Della Reese’s now-widowed character, quickly proved unsuccessful.
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SESAME STREET
Image Credit: PBS screenshot The iconic children’s program faced an adult dilemma when Will Lee, who had long played Mr. Hooper, died of a heart attack in December 1982. A teaching moment emerged via the “Farewell, Mr. Hooper” episode that aired in November 1983, in which the characters acknowledged the storekeeper’s death.
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THE SOPRANOS
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO A storyline in which Livia Soprano would testify against her son Tony was scrapped when Nancy Marchand was felled by lung cancer and emphysema in June 2000. After appearing in one final scene (by way of computer trickery), Livia herself suddenly died, leaving Tony with so many unresolved feelings for his combative creator.
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SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection When series lead Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2010 and began treatment, Starz postponed production on Season 2 and further bought time by producing a prequel series titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Upon suffering a relapse, Whitfeld vacated the role, and in January 2011 Liam McIntyre was tapped to succeed him. Whitfield died eight months later.
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STEP UP
Image Credit: Courtesy of Starz After what was described as “careful consideration,” Step Up decided to recast the role of Collette in the wake of original portrayer Naya Rivera‘s tragic death in a July 2020 drowning accident, at age 33. Actress/singer/DWTS alum Christina Milian took over the part for Season 3.
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SUDDENLY SUSAN
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection After David Strickland (second from left), who played music reporter Todd, died by suicide in March 1999, the sitcom paid special tribute to the actor in an episode that deftly established that Todd had died, too.
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, dial “988” for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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THE WALTONS
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THE WEST WING
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection During the acclaimed drama’s seventh and final season, White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry died of a heart attack – the same sad fate met by portrayer John Spencer in December 2005.
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WILL & GRACE (revival)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Debra Messing/Instagram Debbie Reynolds, who during the comedy’s original run recurred as Grace’s mother, Bobbi, passed away in December 2016 after suffering a severe stroke. When the series returned to NBC in fall 2017, it first paid quiet tribute to Reynolds with a portrait of her glimpsed during a Christmas episode set in early 20th century New York. In a March 2018 episode, Grace and Will traveled to Schenectady to posthumously celebrate Bobbi’s birthday, while a November 2018 #MeToo episode saw Grace visiting her mother’s grave.
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THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Jeanne Cooper’s May 2013 passing first was addressed in a tribute special that aired that month and featured many cast members remembering the daytime icon. Katherine Chancellor herself was later memorialized in two episodes.
In February 2019, in the wake of longtime cast member Kristoff St. John being found dead at age 52, the daytime serial paid tribute that April to both the actor and his character, Neil Winters, who it was revealed had died of a stroke.
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Just to add to the Spartacus entry: Andy Whitfield approved of the role being recast (they would have ended of the show if he had not), and he briefly appeared in the credits of the finale as the show paid one last tribute.
You forgot the Blacklist
I’m sure they didn’t “forget”. There are dozens, if not hundreds, more examples they could have given. Maybe use your comment to describe how Blacklist handled it? I dunno. Just a thought.
“You forgot” is an overused internet trope by people who “forgot” these lists aren’t meant to be exhaustive.
yeah as they handled it in a great way and even gave a tribute to the actor of who played glenn and also i had no idea about the actor actually having that condintion and he was a vocal advocate for the disabled since he was that way and also i think in the people we lost in 2021 that tvline did at the end of the year he was included
I suspect, rather than “forgetting,” they simply assumed that the previous entry on Willie Garson sufficed.
That might have been the case if Willie Garson played the character of Glen, but he did not. That was Clark Middleton. And they gave him (well Glen) a lovely send off. It was quite moving.
I love my soaps, and I remember when Jeane Cooper died and the actors sat around the Chancellor estate living room set and talked fondly of their memories of her. It was really beautiful. I love the way B&B dealt with Darlene Conley’s passing too, and Sally Spectra is living a good life on a tropical island somewhere with her hot cabana boys.
A few that can be added to this list:
Another World: Both Douglass Watson and Constance Ford died in real life and then their characters died on screen. The episode with Constance Ford is especially poignant.
ER: Anthony Edwards and Dr. Greene is the big one although they had various other characters like Dr. Pratt and Romano die as well.
How do these belong here, when it is about the actual death of a cast member? Antony Edwards and there others are not dead.
Sorry read the article again and realized what they meant. Still the first two belong on the list.
What made Douglas Watson’s death even more sad was that the show was about to celebrate their 25th anniversary on the air, and was having this splashy party with a lot of former characters returning. The show had Watson in all the publicity shots promoting the anniversary party. The show was forced to hastily write his character out of it all when Watson died of a heart attack just before the party scenes were to be shot. “Mac” was said to be upset over one of Iris’s stunts and had decided to go away to lick his wounds while the party went as scheduled. All the actors had to play the happy, celebratory scenes while knowing the show’s patriarch (on screen and off) had passed away. Mac later had a heart attack while away, meaning Iris never got to apologize to her father, and Mac’s wife Rachel blaming Iris for Mac’s ‘broken heart’. The Cory family was never the same—heck, the SHOW was never the same without him.
What made Watson’s death even worse was the timing—just before the show was set to celebrate its 25th anniversary. They were staging a big anniversary party and Watson’s Mac Cory was going to be a central character in the onscreen festivities. Watson had been in all the publicity shots and interviews promoting this big event…then died of a heart attack right before the party scenes were to be shot. Hasty rewrites meant Mac was a no-show at his own party, with wife Rachel discovering he’d been hurt by one of Iris’s schemes/lies and had gone away to lick his wounds. So the cast had to play all those celebratory/happy scenes while knowing that the show’s patriarch had died IRL. Mac later died of a heart attack while away, which Rachel likened to Iris’s lies having caused Mac to die of a broken heart.
Quite a few shows of mine on here:
Big Bang Theory
NCIS LA
Rizzoli and isles
NCIS LA was definitely the saddest one I’ve dealt with. Not just because I thought Hetty and Granger were going to 1 day become a couple, but also because I think Hetty was more impacted by losing him then we all realize. :((
Excellent article. A few major omissions: BONANZA -Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), BEWITCHED – Alice Pearce (Gladys Kravitz) and Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) MY THREE SONS – William Frawley (Grandpa) and ALIAS SMITH & JONES -Peter Duel (Hannibal Hayes).
As a 14 year old girl I remember being gutted by Pete Duel’s death by suicide. Loved him on Alias Smith and Jones.
I bought the DVD’s and re-watched Alias Smith and Jones just last summer. I’m still gutted. There just are no words.
A couple more: GILMORE GIRLS REVIVAL – Edward Hermann (Richard Gilmore) and THE JEFFERSONS -Zara Cully (Mother Jefferson)
William Frawley was let go from My Three Sons prior to his death, although it was due to his poor health.
Another rmajor omission which had a significant effect on storyline was way back in 1957 on the TV show Lassie. George Cleveland, who had played Gramps during the early years of the series, died suddenly during filming of the fourth season. Not only was his death written into the 13th episode of that season, but it resulted in a storyline in which the farm was sold and the other family members (minus the orphan Timmy who would gain a new set of foster parents) moved to a new city.
Josh Ryan Evans death was so tragic and eerie back then because he died the same day his character did on Passions. I remember the creator asked Josh’s family if they could air his final scene he taped. It was of his character getting his wings becoming an angel. It was so heartbreaking to watch. Passions stopped being good after his death. It was no longer entertaining.
So many of these deaths are so tragic, but , IMHO, the one that is especially tragic is Freddie Prinze. He was so young and talented. (and gorgeous and charismatic!) At least he gave us Freddie Prinze Jr., who inherited a lot of the same traits. So, thank you, Freddie Prinze.
Jon-Erik Hexum’s death was also very sad. He was so young and handsome. It was such a freak accident. It’s just a shame.
Oh my gosh, and John Ritter! I was devastated by his death. (I guess I was just focusing on how young the other two were and how senseless their deaths were) The show was never the same without him. He was the heart and soul of 8 Simple Rules.
The Dallas revival totally went to crap after JR died
Even though it lasted years after it, Another World lost its center when Douglass Watson died.
In the 1950s and 60s, death was considered too sensitive a topic for family shows. That’s why Hoss’ death on Bonanza and Kate Bradley’s death on Petticoat Junction were hardly mentioned or went unmentioned (and yes – Kate did die: in a later episode, Joe refers to the possibility of the girls losing the hotel. “The girls”, and not Kate).
Joan Bradford’s death on Eight is Enough was referred to often but we never got any details. All we know is that is must have been sudden, because Tom later lamented that he never had the chance to say goodbye to her. I liked how in the season after her death, we’d see guest characters give condolences to her family members in various episodes. Even in the last season, they were still dealing with it when Joan’s parents paid a visit.
Freddie Prinze’s death was so tragic that it was difficult to watch the show after that.
The death of John Ritter’s character on Eight Simple Rules was probably handled as best as I’ve ever seen. The scene where Katey Sagal’s character gets the phone call is terribly poignant and realistic.
I know this isnt directly related to this article but I wonder how true blood reboot will handle lafayette and niall brigant considering nelsan ellis and rutger hauer passed.
I still tear up when they talk about Neil on Y&R (Kristoff St.John). May they all rest in peace.
I’m a bit surprised that you didn’t mention Glen Quinn’s passing was also acknowledged in season 5 of Angel, though his character had died in season 1 (which I think was due to Glen’s drug problems), when they had Cordelia exit the show.
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John Ritter and Benjamin Hendrickson are the ones that hit me hardest, probably because I’d grown up watching John on Three’s Company & the one season spin-off, Three’s A Crowd, as well as having watched Hearts Afire and I’d spent years watching Benjamin as Hal Munson on ATWT.
“…nor does it include actors whose characters weren’t on the show at the time of their passing.”
Another for me was Helen Wagner, who had played Nancy Hughes on As The World Turns from the beginning (though that was more than a decade before my time) up until the final year of the show. Nancy pretty much was everyone’s mom or grandmother on the show, even if she wasn’t biologically related to theme. I still remember how they had her become a friend, mentor, and grandmotherly figure to Lauryn Hill’s character, Kira Johnson in the brief time she was on.
The same could be said for Frances Reid, who played the matriarch Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives until her death in 2010 at age 95. Her death was a major event on the series and resulted in several guest appearances by returning performers.
The actor on Rizzoli and Isles really hurt for me. He was so funny and talented.
From what I understand, some/most of the photos used at Det. Frost’s funeral were BTS pictures the cast/crew had taken.
If that is true, makes that whole funeral scene even more surreal.
That doesn’t surprise me. You can also tell that the emotions portrayed by the characters are the actors real emotions. That’s the biggest reason I sob every time I watch that episode (the show is one of my absolute favorites).
Willie Carson’s passing still hit me hard. I dearly loved him on Hawaii 5-0.
I loved him and James Rebhorn on White Collar.
Also from Petticoat Junction–Smiley Burnette died during Season 4.
Does it count if the actor knew they were dying and had it written into something I hadn’t seen since Ellen Corby’s stroke was used as part of The Waltons storyline? I am referring to Kathryn Joosen of Desperate Housewives’ Karen McCluskey taking the rap for the killing by Bree of an abuser because she knew there would be a finality to her character (and her life). She indeed passed away 20 days after the series finale episode aired.
I know it was mentioned, but I’m surprised no one in the comments is talking about how painful it was when Stanley Kamel died in “Monk.” The viewers were bawling. I don’t know how the actors managed. It was a perfectly done episode with a fitting tribute/adjustment and the casting of a new therapist was just spot on. They just got everything about that so right.
There was a 1 season series (on NBC?) about whites and blacks exchanging places through magic. I think it was cancelled in part because its principal black male lead passed away before the 2nd season could be filmed. I’ve been trying to recall the name of that series.
Does anyone know it?
Black, White (2006)
If other shows would like a guidebook as to how to explain the death of one of their cast members look no further than NCIS. The episode that was dedicated to the memory of Mr. McCallum allowed not only the cast and crew to grieve his passing and celebrate his life, but also allowed us, the long-time fans of the actor and show, to share in this grief and celebration. Kudos to NCIS.
The Frasier revival had Martin’s death be the main plot motivation for the first episode and a sweet tribute to John Mahoney.
And “We’ll Really Miss You Mrs. K” tribute in The Simpsons hit me hard.
I didn’t know about Ritter’s final series, but I was sad when he died all the same. For me, he was and always will be Rev. Fordwick on the Waltons. Speaking of the Waltons, the episode dedicated to Will Geer was beautiful. I know he wasn’t a regular on the show, but I did like how NCIS paid tribute to Ralph Waite when he died. NCIS has always done a good job in giving tribute to cast members who have died.
Not sure if it’s quite within the scope of this article, but fans of Wilf in Doctor Who may not be aware he was only intended to a one off character in the 2007 Christmas Special. Then Howard Attfield died, meaning Geoff Noble wasn’t coming back, so it was suddenly decided to incorporate him as Donna’s grandfather instead.