The hardest part of life is letting go. The same holds true for our favorite television sitcoms . Over the years, audiences have had to say their share of tearful goodbyes.
In that spirit of remembrance , I’ve copied 10+ of the saddest sitcom deaths ever to hit the small screen. These characters may be gone, but their hilarious legacies will never be forgotten.
Marvin Eriksen Sr. in *How I Met Your Mother*.
What makes Marvin Sr.’s death especially difficult to deal with is that he was trying to call Marshall for the entire episode. Every time the phone rang, Marshall was just too busy.
If you haven’t today, call your parents.
Paul Hennessy in *8 Simple Rules*.
Renowned comedian and series lead, John Ritter, died suddenly of a heart attack . His death was written into the show, and it was clear to see that the actors weren’t acting at all.
Rather, they were all still clearly in a state of mourning.
Dan Connor in *Roseanne*.
Thank goodness for The Connors rebooting and reworking the series. If season 9 was the final statement on the Roseanne universe I don’t know what I’d do.
Dan was one of the most beloved TV dads of the ’90s. His death was shocking.
Nurse Laverne Roberts in *Scrubs*.
I’ve always said that what I loved most about Scrubs was how quickly it could go from making you laugh to making you cry.
Listening to Carla saying goodbye to Laverne is one of the most tearful moments of any sitcom.
Henry Blake in *MASH*.
After completing his tour, Henry is relieved of his duties and can finally return home. He says his goodbyes and is airlifted away.
Later on, Radar informs the group that Henry’s plane was shot down; no survivors.
Bill McNeal in *NewsRadio*.
Bill McNeal is another example of a truly tragic death. Actor Phil Hartman was fatally shot in his sleep by his wife.
No one understood how such a terrible thing could happen, as is clear by the looks on all the cast’s faces.
Iorgas ‘Papouli’ Katsopolis in *Full House*.
The Tanner family has dealt with death several times over the course of the series. But watching Danny as he explains to Michelle why her Papouli didn’t wake up is heartwrenching.
It reminds me of my Papa every time!
Michael Cordero in *Jane The Virgin*.
I know, I know — technically, Michael isn’t dead. But before Jane the Virgin went all telenovela, he had been dead for four full seasons.
This show was full of surprises and Michael’s death certainly tops the list.
Mr. Heckles in *Friends*.
It wasn’t so much that Mr. Heckles was a beloved character, but rather that he forced Chandler (for the first time) to come to grips with his own mortality.
His death was a teaching moment for the Central Perk six that appearances can be deceiving.
Walt Miller in *New Girl*.
Walt Miller’s funeral is one of those brilliant comedic scenes that you will have you rolling with laughter and sobbing like a baby.
Watching Jess’ Elvis impersonation is one of the highlights of the whole series.
Kenny McCormick in *South Park*.
For my money, South Park is the most pop-culturally relevant show of all time. For years, it was a running gag to kill Kenny in each and every single episode.
RELATED STORIES
But in season 5 they did it for real and Kenny stayed dead for an entire season.
Seymour in *Futurama*.
Seymour Asses is the best kind of dog. His loyalty and dedication to Frye were unmatched. When Frye discovers the dog’s fossilized remains, he realizes that Seymour never left his side.
He just kept waiting, in vain, for Frye to come home.
Mrs. Wolowitz in *The Big Bang Theory*.
It’s difficult to miss someone that you never actually met — or saw for that matter. But when Howard’s mother passed away on The Big Bang Theory , we all felt his loss.
It is one of the rare somber moments of the series.
Ben Sullivan in *Scrubs*.
What made Ben’s death so difficult to come to terms with was how random it was.
Up until the big reveal, everyone (including me) thought that his health had taken a turn for the better.
Maude Flanders in *The Simpsons*.
Bad things happen to Ned Flanders. He’s lost his business, his home, and his wife over the course of The Simpsons 30-plus seasons.
Couldn’t Matt Groening have chosen someone else? Like that little wiener Milhouse?
