It’s always difficult for a TV show to proceed after a major character’s actor passes away. In these scenarios, they can recast the character or write them out of the show somehow. A common way to pay respect to a departed actor is to kill their character off, allowing the character to rest alongside the actor who portrayed them.
Mr. Hooper, Sesame Street (1969-1982)
Will Lee portrayed Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street from the time it premiered until 1982, when he passed away from a heart attack. Children’s programming has a tricky task when an actor passes away, as kids are very sensitive to recasting and the sudden disappearance of beloved characters. The show respectfully and maturely handled Mr. Hooper’s death by having Big Bird express the different stages of grief after learning that his friend passed away.
Peter Gregory, Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
Actor Christopher Evan Welch portrayed the superbly dorky Peter Gregory on Silicon Valley. While Welch passed away from lung cancer, the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show led to his character’s death being much sillier. After being startled by a gunshot, Peter had a heart attack—a joke that the character never got any physical exercise.
Finn Hudson, Glee (2009-2013)
Cory Monteith portrayed Finn Hudson on the musical TV series Glee, which ran from 2009 to 2015. He tragically passed away from a heroin overdose at age 31 in Vancouver. Rather than recast him, the show’s writers killed off his teenage character, Finn, giving fans a new reason to feel sad when the plotline came up.
Lennie Briscoe, Law & Order (1990-2004)
It’s astonishing that Law & Order is still running after nearly 35 years, but here we are. Jerry Orbach played detective Lennie Briscoe on the long-running procedural until his passing from prostate cancer in 2004. He was already being written out to appear in a spin-off show, but the show eventually acknowledged that Briscoe passed away.
Adam West, Family Guy (1999-2019)
Adam West played a fictionalized version of himself on Family Guy, appearing as the somewhat-unhinged mayor of Quahog. West’s legendary voice graced the show until around 2019, two years after his passing from leukemia, and respectfully wrote his character out of the show and paid tribute to him in a genuinely sweet way.
Livia Soprano, The Sopranos (1999-2007)
Nancy Marchand played Tony’s mother, Livia, on the acclaimed HBO drama The Sopranos. Her character’s death was noteworthy in a show already marked by brutal violence, as it was necessitated by Marchand’s passing in 2000. The show somewhat controversially used CGI to create a scene with Livia in the third season, raising questions about using a deceased actor’s likeness.
Ernie “Coach” Pantusso, Cheers (1982-1985)
Nicholas Colasanto played Coach throughout the 80s on Cheers, and, despite how he looks, wasn’t actually that old when he played the character. He passed away at age 61 of a heart attack, and Cheers somewhat coldly killed his character off with no explanation.
Debbie Wolowitz, The Big Bang Theory (2007-2014)
Carol Ann Susi portrayed the unseen character Mrs. Wolowitz, Howard’s mom, until her passing in 2014. Susi passed suddenly at 62 only a few weeks after receiving a cancer diagnosis. While The Big Bang Theory was often goofy, Mrs. Wolowitz got a respectful exit from the show, peacefully dying in her sleep while visiting family in Florida.
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Edna Krabappel, The Simpsons (1989-2021)
Yes, they’re somehow still making seasons of The Simpsons. In 2013, voice actor Marcia Wallace passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The writers wrote her character off in a roundabout way, having Mrs. Krabappel retire from teaching. In 2021, the show used previously unheard audio of Wallace to give Mrs. K a final outing and say goodbye to her character.
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Fred Andrews, Riverdale (2017-2019)
If you ever want to have your mind blown, watch Riverdale. If you’ve only heard of it as being a teen drama, you’re in for a trip. In any event, Luke Perry portrayed the beloved character Fred Andrews on the show until his passing from a stroke in 2019. Perry’s death at just 52 shocked fans, and his character was given a heroic exit—Fred was hit by a car while helping a stranger on the side of the road.
