Character departures are never easy.
Some leave for a dream job or to pursue a chance at love. Then, there are those who are killed off.
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Whatever their fate, the pain all feels pretty much the same, leaving fans to their tears and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
Here are 10+ of the saddest TV character goodbyes ever.
Lance Sweets – *Bones*
The Bones character Dr. Lance Sweet was about to have a baby with Daisy when he was unexpectedly killed while investigating Booth’s FBI conspiracy.
Executive producer, Stephen Nathan, told TVLine that the decision “complicated and very difficult” since Sweet’s actor, John Francis Daley, decided to leave the show.
Charlie Pace – *Lost*
The beloved bad-boy’s death is still one of the show’s most devastating. He ended up dying a hero when he drowned while saving the other survivors.
Dominic’s co-stars also missed him on set, as Henry Cusick told Cinema Blend that he was “very moved, even off-camera, by Dominic’s acting.”
Opie – *Sons of Anarchy*
When Jax is pressured to sacrifice one of his Sons of Anarchy members while in prison, his best friend Opie makes the choice for him by attacking the prison guards.
Jax watches on the other side of a prison window as the beloved Opie is beaten to death with a pipe.
Glenn and Abraham – *The Walking Dead*
When Negan set his plans to kill a member of Daryl’s group, he chose to brutally murder Abraham in the Season 7 premiere.
As a shock to fans, Daryl’s angry outburst caused the deranged Degan to continue his madness, killing the fan-favorite Glenn with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
Fiona Gallagher – *Shameless*
It saddened fans to see Fiona move on from the show. Her final scene came after her brother Ian gave her advice for her departure.
In an emotional Facebook post, the actress addressed her desire to “grow creatively,” while thanking the cast and production for her time on the show.
Castiel – *Supernatural*
Supernatural has been known to kill off some of its favorite characters. This includes the beloved, Castiel, who sacrificed himself to save Dean in the episode “Despair.”
Although fans were upset about Castiel’s death, actor Misha Collins praised his opportunity on Instagram saying, “He’s how I want to be. He’s openhearted and he’s selfless and true.”
Michael Scott – *The Office*
When Michael Scott left The Office it left fans broken-hearted knowing that the show would never be the same.
The reactions you saw from some of the cast on Michael’s goodbye were real. John Krasinski who plays Jim, once said that he “cried so hard.”
Butterfree – *Pokemon*
In the episode “Bye, Bye Butterfree,” Ash and Pokémon fans were torn when he made the decision to set his Butterfree free.
Butterfree was endearing to the viewers as it was the first Pokémon Ash caught and grew to evolve.
Mona Simpson – *The Simpsons*
The Simpsons gave quite the sad backstory of Homer and his mother Mona’s relationship.
After Homer rejected Mona’s many attempts to reconnect, it was too late when he finally changed his mind. She had passed away.
Lou Smith – *Fresh Prince*
In a heartbreaking scene, Will’s father re-enters his life after being gone for 14 years. But when he left again at the end of the episode, Will knew his father wasn’t coming back.
Watching Will cry on Uncle Phil’s shoulder over this sent shivers through the audience.
Mike Delfino – *Desperate Housewives*
It was so heartbreaking when Susan, portrayed by Teri Hatcher, found her husband Mike dead.
Hatcher was also upset over this. She told Entertainment Weekly : “It’s sad to me that Susan, who started the series as a single, unloved mother, ends now in the same way.”
Kate Todd – *NCIS*
The NCIS favorite Kate was forced to be assassinated when actress Sasha Alexander decided to step away from the show, breaking the hearts of fans.
Sasha told Express that the “17 hour” days took a toll on her.
Alex Karev – *Grey’s Anatomy*
Sixteen years and sixteen seasons later, Alex Karev has his final moments on Grey’s Anatomy .
The episode ended with a montage of Alex and Izzie, reminding viewers of the incredible romance between the two favorites.
Prue – *Charmed*
While in a battle with a demon, magic could not save the fan-favorite Prue.
Turns out, the reason behind her sudden death was because Shannen Doherty, who plays Prue, was fired. She also had an ongoing feud with her Charmed co-star, Alyssa Milano.
Ann Perkins and Chris Traeger – *Parks and Recreation*
In quite the bittersweet departure, the couple said goodbye to Pawnee in season 6, as they set off to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to raise their new baby.
Fans were excited when they were part of the Parks and Rec reunion episode.
The Tenth Doctor – *Doctor Who*
Since he didn’t want to outstay his welcome, actor David Tennant decided to step down from the role.
The character’s very last line was emotional, as he said, “I don’t want to go” before exiting his phone booth.
Alison Argent – *Teen Wolf*
Fan-favorite Alison Argent left the show in a tragic way with her bleeding out in her lover’s arms.
Her sudden departure came from the actress feeling like she had outgrown the teenaged character .
Jane Margolis – *Breaking Bad*
It was difficult to see Jesse Pinkman repeatedly call Jane’s phone after she died at the hands of Walter White.
The lead actor, Bryan Cranston, admited that he was a “weeping mess” when they called “cut” during Jane’s death scene.
Cristina Yang – *Grey’s Anatomy*
In Grey’s Anatomy’s season 10 finale, Cristina Yang and Owen exchange final sentiments, tearing up before making her departure for her dream job in Switzerland.
When she’s in Swiss, it reads Dr. Cristina Yang, director of cardiothoracic surgery, on her door.
