# History of TV character deaths **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654 "2014-09-26T17:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/1 "2014-09-26T17:11:00Z")
There was a surprise death of a major character on the season premiere of a U.S. prime time show yesterday and it got me to wondering: For both comedy and drama what were the first TV shows to 1. Say a character had died because the actor died? 2. Say a character had died because the actor left the show? 3. Give a departing actor a death scene? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/2 "2014-09-26T17:16:18Z")
I think (2) was Henry Blake on _MAS_H\*\*\*. At least, it was a very big deal at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/3 "2014-09-26T17:20:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I think (2) was Henry Blake on _MAS_H\*\*\*. At least, it was a very big deal at the time. Yes it was. I watched it live. I was too young to realize they could really do that on TV. I thought it was a joke and he was going to show back up. I remember my parents were stunned. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/4 "2014-09-26T17:21:17Z")
I thought Henry Blake would be answer to (2) for a comedy, but what about for a drama? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/5 "2014-09-26T17:23:56Z")
Did they ever explain Bub’s disappearance on _ **My Three Sons** _, or was his death just assumed/implied? According to Wiki, William Frawley was dropped from the series because the studio could no longer get insurance for him, and he died a year or two later. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/6 "2014-09-26T17:27:14Z")
For 1, it was probably **Cheers** with the death of Coach. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/7 "2014-09-26T17:27:41Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I thought Henry Blake would be answer to (2) for a comedy, but what about for a drama? Two come to mind, though pretty late in the game: Joe Coffey on _ **Hill Street Blues** _ and Zito on _ **Miami Vice** _. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/8 "2014-09-26T17:27:55Z")
According to Wikipedia, the first TV character to die was Margaret Williams, the mother in _Make Room for Daddy_ in 1956. Jean Hagen, the actress who played her, had left the show. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/9 "2014-09-26T17:29:28Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > There was a surprise death of a major character on the season premiere of a U.S. prime time show yesterday… Could you spoiler it for me, please? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/10 "2014-09-26T17:30:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For 1, it was probably **Cheers** with the death of Coach. I think Hoss Cartwright on _Bonanza_, was the first character to die due to the death of the actor playing him - in this case, Dan Blocker. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/11 "2014-09-26T17:33:02Z")
Also for (1): Chief Kanisky on _ **Gimme a Break!** _ in 1985, and both Selma and Florence on _ **Night Court** _ (in '85 and '86). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/12 "2014-09-26T17:34:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Could you spoiler it for me, please? I don’t know who the character was but _Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood_, and _Scandal_ had their season premieres yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/13 "2014-09-26T17:36:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Could you spoiler it for me, please? Just Google it. “Season premier, death, major character, surprise.” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/14 "2014-09-26T17:40:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t know who the character was but _Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood_, and _Scandal_ had their season premieres yesterday. Holy fuck! Sweets is dead! But on the plus side, does this mean Zack can come back now? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/15 "2014-09-26T18:40:29Z")
Mr. Hooper? (first kids show) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/16 "2014-09-26T18:44:14Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > There was a surprise death of a major character on the season premiere of a U.S. prime time show yesterday… Bruce Wayne’s father hardly ought to be a surprise at this point… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/17 "2014-09-26T18:48:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think Hoss Cartwright on _Bonanza_, was the first character to die due to the death of the actor playing him - in this case, Dan Blocker. Seconded **here:** > **[The First Time a TV Show Addressed the Death of a Character](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/28798/first-time-tv-show-addressed-death-character)** > > The death of a show's character has become fairly commonplace nowadays, but it wasn't always that way. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/18 "2014-09-26T19:05:41Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Mr. Hooper? (first kids show) I was going to say this. Big Bird was worried about not seeing Mr. Hooper, then it was explained to him that Mr Hooper had died. The writers, producers and cast of Sesame Street did an extraordinary job IMO explaining death in a gentle but respectful way to Big Bird to help kids understand such a difficult concept as death. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/19 "2014-09-26T19:09:36Z")
Jean Stapleton left \*\*\*All in the Family \*\*\*at the end of the 1979-80 season. In the first episode of the 1980-81 season, Archie tries to talk to Edith, and says something like, “Aw, Edith, I was supposed to die first.” Jack Soo of\*\*\* Barney Miller \*\*\*died in 1979, and his character, Nick Yemana, “died” too. One of the running gags on that show was that Nick made horrible coffee. In a tribute episode, all the detectives “toast” Yemana with a cup of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654/20 "2014-09-26T19:15:42Z")
IIRC, (3) would apply to Dinah Mahoff’s character on _ **Soap** _. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-tv-character-deaths/699654.md?page=2)