When TV shows become a huge part of viewers' life, the fictional characters in those shows can feel like their family . So, when these characters die, it can hurt a lot, to the point where it feels like they lost their family member or friend.
Many fictional deaths in the history of television have devastated the fans and turned them into a weeping mess. Certain deaths are famous in pop culture as one of the saddest fictional deaths ever. Ranker shared the saddest and most heartbreaking television deaths over the years, which are guaranteed to make audiences cry.
Hershel Greene - The Walking Dead
Hershel Greene was the moral com of The Walking Dead for almost all the major characters in the show at the time, especially Rick Grimes. Even though he was the biological father of Beth and Maggie, Rick also respected him as a father.
Since the protagonist of the show saw Hershel as a father figure, the fans also saw him as one. That's why his death was deeply upsetting for the fans. Also, much like many characters on the show, his death was brutal. He was beheaded by the Governor.
Hodor - Game Of Thrones
House Stark (the best House in Game of Thrones) and he died saving Bran Stark from White Walkers.
What made his hero's death even sadder is the fact that it was a full-circle moment. The reason he kept saying Hodor throughout the series was revealed at the time of his death, which signified that his life's purpose was to save Bran's life.
Paul Hennessy - 8 Simple Rules
The actor John Ritter died at the age of 54 and so, the showrunners of 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter had to end his character's arc on the show too. He played Paul Hennessy, a father of three children who were especially strict with his two teenage daughters.
The show had to kill the character by making him collapse on a milk run. Knowing that the actor had died in real life made it harder for the fans to confront Paul's death, especially when his daughter, Bridget breaks down crying and misses her dad's overprotectiveness.
Robb Stark - Game Of Thrones
The eldest son of House Stark, Robb Stark was a brilliant warrior and was on the path of avenging his father's death. However, love became his downfall and his death became one of the most talked-about events in television history.
The season 3 episode of Game of Thrones, "Rains of Castamere" featured the famous event, Red Wedding, which got its name due to how much Stark blood was shed during a wedding. The Starks were completely unprepared for the attack and they were enjoying a wedding feast before it happened and this is what makes Robb's death extremely gut-wrenching. No Game Of Thrones fan had dry eyes by the end of the episode.
Lady - Game Of Thrones
Game of Thrones is famous for killing its major characters, but it all started with Sansa's dire wolf, Lady. It was the first major death in the show that broke the hearts of the fans.
The dire wolves were introduced in the first episode of the show and each of the Stark kids got one direwolf to take care of. They essentially became their pets as well as protectors. It is always heartbreaking when a beloved animal dies and her death scene in which Ned had to unwillingly take her life makes it even worse.
Opie Winston - Sons Of Anarchy
Most of the main characters in Opie is one of the best characters in the series and is highly beloved by the fans, which is why his brutal death was shocking and distressing to the fans.
His death not just affected the audiences, but also the cast, crew, and even the showrunners but they claimed that it was necessary for Jax's plot to move forward.
Glenn - The Walking Dead
One of the most brutal deaths in recent television history has to be of Glenn in The Walking Dead. At the time, Glenn was one of the most popular characters in the AMC series and he was one of the rare characters in the show who was still good.
He was killed by Negan in a horrific way that still makes fans feel disturbed upon thinking about it. It was the introductory episode of Negan, who broke Rick Grimes and his group immediately upon his arrival by terrorizing them and killing two of their men.
Bobby Singer - Supernatural
Bobby Singer is the adoptive father of the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, as well as of the Supernatural fandom. So, his death was incredibly disheartening for the fans.
Sam and Dean never really had any parental affection from their real parents, since their mother died when they were little and their father became hell-bent on revenge. Thus, Bobby was the only one who cared for them as a parent does. The character is so beloved in the fandom that fans would still want a spin-off of Bobby.
Lt. Colonel Henry Blake - M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H is considered one of the greatest sitcoms in television history. A war comedy, the CBS show centered around the Korean War. Henry Blake was one of the most memorable characters, but the fans were shocked at the time when the actor portraying him, McLean Stevenson, left the show.
Henry was killed in a plane crash at the end of season 3. At the time, hardly any characters were removed from a show permanently, which is why this death was even more shocking to the viewers as well as the cast and crew.
Eddard Stark - Game Of Thrones
The first major person dying on Game of Thrones that devastated and shocked the viewers who hadn't read the books was Eddard Stark. Amongst all the backstabbers, cruel, and selfish characters in the GOT universe, Ned was one of the few honorable men.
Unfortunately, it was his honor that got him killed at the end of season 1 in the 9th episode, "Baelor". He forewarned his opponents about the move he was going to make and that got him beheaded by Joffrey. His death kickstarted the war between the Houses and the plot for the rest of the show, but it is still a sore wound for the fans.