20 TV characters who died because the actor who played them died in real life
Finn Hudson of 'Glee', Ernie Pantusso of 'Cheers' and more characters were written off shows because the actor who played them died
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The tragic deaths of actors during TV show productions have made for sad goodbyes to their characters.
Many actors have unexpectedly died while they were a part of one or more TV shows, such as Cory Monteith from "Glee" and John Ritter of "8 Simple Rules."
Below are 20 TV characters who died because the actor who played them died in real life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actor Cory Monteith played Finn Hudson on "Glee." (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
A LOOK BACK AT THE TRAGIC DEATHS THAT ROCKED THE ‘GLEE’ CAST
- Finn Hudson, "Glee"
- Ernie ‘Coach’ Pantusso, "Cheers"
- Paul Hennessy, "8 Simple Rules"
- Livia Soprano, "The Sopranos"
- Angela, "Family Guy"
- Adam West, "Family Guy"
- Fred Andrews, "Riverdale"
- Debbie Wolowitz, "The Big Bang Theory"
- J.R. Ewing, "Dallas"
- Owen Granger, "NCIS: Los Angeles"
- Mr. Hooper, "Sesame Street"
- Glen Carter, "The Blacklist"
- Peter Gregory, "Silicon Valley"
- Andrew Campbell, "Mad Men"
- Neil Winters, "The Young and the Restless"
- Pops, "The Goldbergs"
- Lars Hanson, "Little House on the Prairie"
- Leo McGarry, "The West Wing"
- Bill McNeal, "NewsRadio"
- Gramps, "Lassie"
1. Finn Hudson, "Glee"
Finn Hudson was a beloved character in the musical drama "Glee." In 2013, Cory Monteith died at age 31 due to "mixed drug toxicity", and his character also died in the show.
The details surrounding the death of Hudson's character weren't revealed on the show but were addressed in a tribute episode titled "The Quarterback."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2. Ernie "Coach" Pantusso, "Cheers"
The beloved bartender in the TV show "Cheers" was played by Nicholas Colasanto.
During the third season of the show, Colasanto died of a heart attack in 1985.
In the premiere of the show's fourth season, his character's death was addressed. Woody Harrelson joined the cast as the new bartender at Cheers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nicholas Colasanto played a bartender in the show "Cheers." He died in 1985 while still part of the show. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
3. Paul Hennessy, "8 Simple Rules"
John Ritter played Paul Hennessy in the show "8 Simple Rules."
He died in September 2003. In the show, his character died after collapsing in a grocery store, and the show paid tribute to him.
He was also in the animated children's show, "Clifford," in which he voiced the big red dog. The show ended following his death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}4. Livia Soprano, "The Sopranos"
Tony's mother, Livia, was played by Nancy Marchand. She died in June 2000.
After the actress' death, CGI was used for the character's last appearance in a scene. On the show, the character died in her sleep.
‘THE SOPRANOS’: TRACING THE CAST OF THE DRAMA SERIES' POST-SHOW JOURNEY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}5. Angela, "Family Guy"
Carrie Fisher, known for playing Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" franchise, was also voicing a character in "Family Guy" when she died in 2016.
Her character, Angela, died in a drowning incident on the show.
Fisher was also in a show called "Catastrophe" when she passed away. Her character in that show, Mia, died of a heart attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}6. Adam West, "Family Guy"
Adam West, who voiced a character of the same name in "Family Guy," died in 2017 at 88.
The show paid tribute to the late actor in the episode titled "Adam West High."
7. Fred Andrews, "Riverdale"
Fred Andrews, Archie's father, was played by Luke Perry in the series "Riverdale." The actor died of a stroke in 2019.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fourth season of the show paid tribute to him. In the show, his character died in a hit-and-run accident. There's a funeral held for him during an episode.
Luke Perry, center, died in 2019. He played Fred Andrews in the TV show "Riverdale." (Stephen Lovekin/TVLine/Penske Media via Getty Images)
BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN TEXTED LUKE PERRY AFTER HIS DEATH: 'HE’S HIDING SOMEWHERE'
8. Debbie Wolowitz, "The Big Bang Theory"
Debbie, mother of Howard in "The Big Bang Theory," was played by Carol Ann Susi. Susi died in 2014 after a battle with cancer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the show, her character died in her sleep.
9. J.R. Ewing, "Dallas"
J.R. Ewing, the villain in the show "Dallas," was played by Larry Hagman.
In 2012, Hagman died from cancer. His character in the show died from gunshot wounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}10. Owen Granger, "NCIS: Los Angeles"
Miguel Ferrer played Owen Granger in the crime show "NCIS: Los Angeles." In the show, his character was written out and the show paid tribute to the late actor.
In real life, Ferrer died in 2017 following a battle with cancer.
Owen Granger was an "NCIS" character played by Miguel Ferrer. (Neil Jacobs/CBS via Getty Images)
11. Mr. Hooper, "Sesame Street"
Mr. Hooper, the store owner on "Sesame Street," was played by Will Lee. In 1982, when Lee was 74 years old, he died of a heart attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An episode of the show titled "Farewell, Mr. Hopper" was dedicated to the actor and had the intent of helping children deal with the grief of a loss.
12. Glen Carter, "The Blacklist"
Clark Middleton played Glen Carter in "The Blacklist."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His character in the show died the same way Middleton did in 2020, from the West Nile virus.
13. Peter Gregory, "Silicon Valley"
Christopher Evan Welch played Peter Gregory in "Silicon Valley." The actor died from lung cancer in 2013, prior to the show's premiere.
His character also died in the show, and there was a memorial for him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}14. Andrew Campbell, "Mad Men"
In the show "Mad Men," Andrew Campbell was a character played by Christopher Allport in one episode of the show.
In 2008, Allport died in an avalanche. In the show, his character died in a plane crash.
15. Neil Winters, "The Young and the Restless"
Kristoff St. John played Neil Winters in "The Young and the Restless."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the show, his character died of a stroke after the actor died from heart disease in 2019.
16. Pops, "The Goldbergs"
Pops in "The Goldbergs" was played by George Segal. The actor died in 2021 at 87.
The season 9 premiere of the show paid tribute to the late actor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}17. Lars Hanson, "Little House on the Prairie"
Lars Hanson was a character played by Karl Swenson in "Little House on the Prairie." Swenson died in 1978 when he was 70.
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His character also died in the show.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}18. Leo McGarry, "The West Wing"
John Spencer played Leo McGarry on the show "The West Wing." In 2005, Spencer died of a heart attack.
In the show, his character died the same way.
John Spencer played Leo McCarthy in "The West Wing." (Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
19. Bill McNeal, "NewsRadio"
The character Bill McNeal was played by Phil Hartman, who died in 1998 at 49 years old. He was shot by his wife, Brynn, who then took her own life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His character died of a heart attack in the show.
20. Gramps, "Lassie"
In 1957, the actor who played Gramps in "Lassie," George Cleveland, died of a heart attack.
His character in the show died and there was a funeral held for him.