List of television actors who died during production

The following is a list of television actors who died during production of the television show in which they were appearing. In many cases, a show will handle the death of an actor by killing off their character or otherwise writing them out of the show. In other cases, the show may recast the part with another actor. In extreme cases, the show may be cancelled outright.

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List

Actor	Character	Show	Number of appearances	Date of death	Cause of death	Season in production	Effect on production
Robert Ripley	Presenter and participant	Ripley's Believe It or Not!	13	1949-05-27	Heart attack	1	Died three days after live broadcast of the 13th episode. Ripley's friends and associates filled in as presenters for the remainder of the first season. Robert St. John took over as host for the second season. The series' final episode was on October 5, 1950, more than a year-and-a-half following Ripley's death.
Don "Creesh" Hornsby	Presenter and star performer	Broadway Open House	0	1950-05-22	Polio	1	Scheduled to be the show's host, but died a week before the May 29, 1950 premiere. Replaced by Morey Amsterdam (Mondays and Wednesdays) and Jerry Lester (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays).
Richard Hart	Ellery Queen	The Adventures of Ellery Queen	11	1951-01-02	Heart attack	1	Character recast; taken over by Lee Bowman.
Hattie McDaniel	Beulah, the maid	Beulah	6	1952-10-26	Breast cancer	3	Character recast; taken over by Louise Beavers.
Nana Bryant	Julia – Margaret Williams' mother	Make Room for Daddy		1955-12-24	Unknown	3	No on-screen explanation given; the character simply stopped appearing midway through the third season.
Fred Allen	Panelist	What's My Line?	92	1956-03-17	Heart attack	6	Died Saturday night, March 17, 1956. His place on the Sunday, March 18 live broadcast was taken by Steve Allen and subsequently by guest panelists.
Charles King	Various extras	Gunsmoke	28	1957-05-07	Cirrhosis of the liver	2	While an urban legend states that he died on the set after playing a corpse; the final episode he appeared in that aired during his lifetime was "Cheap Labor", which aired May 4, 1957, the day before his death. Seven additional episodes featuring King were aired between May 11 and July 6, 1957.
George Cleveland	George "Gramps" Miller	Lassie	116	1957-07-15	Heart attack	4	Character killed off.
John Hamilton	Perry White	Adventures of Superman		1958	Heart attack		Character was planned to be away on a secret assignment, replaced as Daily Planet editor by his brother, portrayed by Pierre Watkin. No episodes with this were produced, due to the subsequent death of star George Reeves.
George Reeves	Superman	Adventures of Superman		1959-06-16	Ballistic trauma to the head	6	Series cancelled.
Ward Bond	Major Seth Adams	Wagon Train	Approximately 130	1960-11-05	Heart attack	4	No on-screen explanation given; the character simply stopped appearing midway through the fourth season and was replaced by John McIntire (Christopher Hale) as the "new wagon master."
Joseph Kearns	George Wilson	Dennis the Menace	100	1962-02-17	Cerebral hemorrhage	3	Character written out. With Season 3 episodes still in production, the first two episodes filmed after Kearns' death do not feature Mr. Wilson nor any acknowledgement of why he is absent; the episodes simply focus on other characters. Starting with the last six episodes of Season 3, the character of John Wilson (Gale Gordon as George's brother) is introduced and will remain for the rest of the series' run; the initial explanation of George's absence is that he is "away" on business. George (along with wife, Martha) are officially written out in the fourth-season premiere as having moved, and after a few scattered mentions in a few subsequent episodes are not referred to again.
Dick Powell	Host/Occasional star	The Dick Powell Show	41	1963-01-02	Lung cancer	2	Replaced by several other actors who served as guest hosts (at which point the series was renamed The Dick Powell Theatre), until the series was cancelled at the end of the season.
Larry Keating	Roger Addison	Mister Ed	81	1963-08-26	Leukemia	4	Character written out without explanation.
John Larkin	Major General Wiley Crowe	Twelve O'Clock High	25	1965-01-29	Heart attack	1	Character written out without explanation.
Henry Kulky	Chief Curly Jones	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea	22	1965-02-12	Heart attack	1	Character written out and replaced during the second season by Chief Sharkey, portrayed by Terry Becker.
Dorothy Kilgallen	Panelist	What's My Line?	784	1965-11-08	Combination of alcohol and barbiturates	24	Died on the day following the Sunday, November 7 broadcast; questionable circumstances surrounding the death have connected it to her claimed possession of sensational documentation relating to the JFK assassination. Her place on the following Sunday's live broadcast was taken by Kitty Carlisle, a panelist from To Tell the Truth (which, like What's My Line?, was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions) and subsequently by guest panelists.
Alice Pearce	Gladys Kravitz	Bewitched	Approximately 60	1966	Ovarian cancer	2	Character recast with Sandra Gould filling the role, starting with Season 3. With Season 2 production still continuing when Pearce died, an interim character – Harriet Kravitz (Mary Grace Canfield), Gladys' sister-in-law – is introduced, with the explanation that Gladys is away visiting her mother, while Harriet visits with Abner to keep house.
Ann Sheridan	Henrietta Hanks	Pistols 'n' Petticoats	21	1967-01-21	Cancer	1	Character is absent in the last five episodes. Afterwards, the series was canceled.
Smiley Burnette	Charley Pratt	Petticoat Junction		1967	Leukemia	4	Character retired without explanation, and replaced by Floyd Smoot (Rufe Davis) and later, Wendell Gibbs (Byron Foulger).
Charles Bickford	John Grainger	The Virginian	18	1967-11-09	Pneumonia and blood infection	6	Character either written out or killed off and replaced by his brother, Clay Grainger, portrayed by John McIntire.
Marion Lorne	Aunt Clara	Bewitched	27	1968-05-09	Heart attack	4	Character written out without explanation and replaced during the sixth season by Esmeralda, portrayed by Alice Ghostley.
Bea Benaderet	Kate Bradley	Petticoat Junction	163	1968-10-13	Lung cancer	5	No on-screen acknowledgement or direct comment on her death is ever made. The character of Kate Bradley is said to be "out of town." Kate's absence is alluded to in passing in the season seven premiere episode when her daughters, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo (Meredith MacRae and Lori Saunders) comment wistfully, "Mom taught us to swim in that very same water tower." And in another episode, a special hotel guest is said to be staying in the "Kate Bradley Memorial Suite." Benaderet's character was replaced by Dr. Janet Craig, played by June Lockhart.
Barton MacLane	General Martin Peterson	I Dream of Jeannie	35	1969	Double pneumonia	4	Character written out without explanation and replaced during the fifth season by General Winfield Schaeffer, portrayed by Vinton Hayworth.
Robert Taylor	Host	Death Valley Days		1969-06-08	Lung cancer	17	Replaced by Dale Robertson.
Inger Stevens	Vanessa Smith	The Most Deadly Game	1	1970-04-30	acute barbiturate poisoning	1	Died more than five months before series premiere and her character was recast, with Yvette Mimieux taking over the part. The premiere was postponed from September to October and ultimately the series was canceled after production of 13 episodes. The pilot episode with Stevens was never broadcast.
Frank Silvera	Don Sebastian Montoya	The High Chaparral	14	1970-06-11	Accidental electrocution	3	Character written out.
Arthur Leslie	Jack Walker	Coronation Street		1970-06-30	Heart attack		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Pete Duel	Hannibal Heyes (Joshua Smith)	Alias Smith and Jones	33	1971	Ballistic trauma to the head, self-inflicted	2	Character recast with Roger Davis, the series' narrator.
Dan Blocker	Hoss Cartwright	Bonanza	400-plus	1972	Pulmonary embolism following surgery	13	No on-screen acknowledgement was given, although Hoss' death is alluded to in at least two episodes. A previous character – Candy Canaday, played by David Canary – returns to the series to replace Hoss; however, Blocker's death was partially cited as a reason for the series' ratings going into decline in the fall of 1972 and eventual cancellation.
Roger Delgado	The Master	Doctor Who		1973	Traffic collision	10	Character regenerated.
James Beck	Private Joe Walker	Dad's Army	58	1973-08-06	Pancreatitis	6	Character written out during the episode The Recruit with a letter saying he'd "gone to The Smoke". Character was never seen or referred to again.
Glenn Strange	Sam	Gunsmoke	238	1973-09-20	Lung cancer	14	Character killed off.
Patricia Cutts	Blanche Hunt	Coronation Street	2	1974-09-06	Suicide by barbiturate poisoning		Character recast, role taken over by Maggie Jones.
Barbara Colby	Julie Erskine	Phyllis	3	1975-07-24	Ballistic trauma, inflicted during drive-by shooting	1	Character recast with Liz Torres taking over the role.
Graham Haberfield	Jerry Booth	Coronation Street		1975-10-18	Heart failure		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Freddie Prinze	Chico Rodriguez	Chico and the Man	62	1977-01-29	Ballistic trauma to the head, self-inflicted	3	Episodes completed prior to Prinze's death were aired on schedule. The first aired episode after Prinze's death included an on-air acknowledgement from James Komack (the series' creator and executive producer) thanking everyone for their kind words and outpouring of sympathy. Following the airing of Prinze's last completed episode, for the rest of season three, Chico's absence is explained as being "away" (either on business or visiting his father), with completed scripts focusing on other characters and Chico's lines either removed or rewritten for other characters. Starting with Season 4, Chico was replaced by a 12-year-old boy named Raul (Gabriel Melgar), while other characters initially continued to explain that Chico was away. Finally, in the very special episode "Raul Runs Away," aired January 20, 1978 (nearly one year after Prinze's death), it is explained that Chico had died but with no explanation of the circumstances. However, the ratings declined and, with Prinze's death a primary factor, the series was cancelled in the spring of 1978.
Diana Hyland	Joan Bradford	Eight is Enough	4	1977-03-27	Breast cancer	1	Character killed off before the beginning of the next season. Joan's death is addressed in the second-season premiere, and a new character, played by Betty Buckley, is introduced early in the second season.
Zara Cully	"Mother" Olivia Jefferson	The Jeffersons		1978-02-28	Lung cancer	4	Character killed off and addressed briefly in an early Season 5 episode.
Will Geer	"Grandpa" Zeb Walton	The Waltons		1978-04-22	Respiratory failure	6	Character killed off, with his death addressed in the seventh-season premiere.
Karl Swenson	Lars Hanson	Little House On the Prairie		1978-10-08	Heart attack	4	Character killed off, as having died from complications of a stroke he had suffered after the series' main setting, Walnut Grove (the town which he founded), had fallen into an economic depression. The final episode that featured his character aired eight days after his death.
Jack Soo	Detective Nick Yemana	Barney Miller		1979-01-11	Esophageal cancer	5	Character killed off. A special tribute episode, with Soo's castmates giving out-of-character tributes to him, was aired in the spring of 1979.
Mary McCarty	Nurse Clara "Starch" Willoughby	Trapper John, M.D.	22	1980	Heart attack	1	Character retired; in the Season 2 premiere, it is explained Starch had gotten married, moved away and retired. Afterward, the character is replaced by Nurse Ernestine Shoop (Madge Sinclair).
Jim Davis	Jock Ewing	Dallas		1981	Multiple myeloma	3	Character killed off with a helicopter crash after an extended absence.
Johnny Jacobs	Announcer	Treasure Hunt	25	1982-02-08		1	Replaced by Tony McClay, who had served as Jacobs' fill-in.
Michael Thoma	Greg Cranfield	Fame	7	1982-09-03	Cancer	1	Mr Cranfield was due to be sacked but the pupils forced the school board to reconsider. His job was saved but the actor died shortly after the episode was filmed. In the episode "Tough Act to Follow", the character died of a heart attack; the episode was dedicated to Thoma.
Will Lee	Mr. Hooper	Sesame Street		1982-12-07	Heart attack	15	Character killed off, with his death addressed in a very special episode, aired almost a year after his death. Shows featuring Mr. Hooper that were taped prior to Lee's death were aired, with no acknowledgement of the reason for his absence from between his final aired appearance (in early 1983) until the airing of the "Goodbye, Mr. Hooper" episode on November 24, 1983.
Carolyn Jones	Myrna Clegg	Capitol	108	1983-08-03	Colon cancer	2	Temporary substitute Marla Adams played Myrna Clegg during periods when Jones was too ill to perform. At the time of Jones' death, Marla Adams was cast in The Young and the Restless and the role was assigned to Marj Dusay who continued in the part for nearly four years, until Capitol's cancelation in March 1987.
Peter Dudley	Bert Tilsley	Coronation Street		1983-10-20	Heart attack		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Jessica Savitch	Host	Frontline		1983-10-23	Drowned in a car accident	1	Replaced during the second season by Judy Woodruff.
Michael Conrad	Phil Esterhaus	Hill Street Blues		1983-11-22	Urethral cancer	4	Character killed off while having sex with Grace Gardner. Episodes completed prior to his death were aired, with the first episode completed after Conrad's death addressing Esterhaus' death.
John Comer	Sid	Last of the Summer Wine	47	1984-02-11	Throat cancer	7	Character killed off, death mentioned on screen in following episodes.
Jack Howarth	Albert Tatlock	Coronation Street		1984-03-31	Liver complaint		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Jack Barry	Host	The Joker's Wild		1984-05-02	Cardiac arrest		Replaced by Bill Cullen.
Bernard Youens	Stan Ogden	Coronation Street		1984-08-27	Gangrene		Character killed off with gangrene.
Toke Townley	Sam Pearson	Emmerdale		1984-09-27	Heart attack		Character killed off in his sleep.
Charlotte Long	Eloise	The Tripods		1984-10-06	Car crash	1	Character briefly recast, with Cindy Shelley appearing as Eloise during a dream sequence.
Jon-Erik Hexum	Mac Harper	Cover Up	7	1984-10-18	Ballistic trauma to the head, accidentally self-inflicted with a blank cartridge	1	Character killed off and replaced by Jack Striker, portrayed by Antony Hamilton.
Lennard Pearce	Grandad	Only Fools & Horses	26	1984-12-15	Heart attack	4	Character killed off. Pearce died while filming the series four episode "Hole in One" (several scenes were subsequently re-shot with Buster Merryfield).
Nicholas Colasanto	Coach Ernie Pantusso	Cheers	71	1985-02-12	Heart ailment	3	Character killed off at the beginning of the next season and replaced as bartender by Woody Boyd, portrayed by Woody Harrelson.
Dolph Sweet	Carl Kanisky	Gimme a Break!	88	1985-05-08	Cancer	4	Character killed off, and his character's death was addressed in the fifth-season premiere.
Selma Diamond	Selma Hacker	Night Court		1985-05-13	Lung cancer	2	Character killed off and addressed in the third-season premiere.
Samantha Smith	Elizabeth Culver	Lime Street	4	1985-08-25	Crash of Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808	1	Production initially continued, but series cancelled after airing only five out of eight episodes produced.
Sidney Clute	Detective Paul LaGuardia	Cagney & Lacey	80	1985-10-02	Cancer	4	Character written off, with an explanation onscreen that he retired and moved away. As a tribute, Clute's name was kept in the opening credits until the series finale.
Johnny Olson	Announcer	The Price is Right		1985-10-12	cerebral hemorrhage	13	Replaced in February 1986 by Rod Roddy (on-air auditions were held in the interim).
Bill Scott	Gruffi Gummi	Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears	13	1985-11-29	Heart attack	1	Character recast for the second season; taken over by Corey Burton.
Florence Halop	Florence Kleiner	Night Court		1986-07-15	Lung cancer	3	Character killed off and addressed in the fourth-season premiere. Her successor was played by 32-year-old Marsha Warfield, who remained for the rest of the series run.
Ted Knight	Henry Rush	The Ted Knight Show		1986-08-26	Colorectal cancer	6	Series cancelled; production was to have resumed in September 1986, with Knight planning on returning to work. First-run episodes that were completed prior to his final illness were aired on schedule through the end of the 1986-1987 season.
Roger C. Carmel	Cyclonus, Bruticus	The Transformers		1986-11-11	Congestive heart failure	3	Bruticus written out. Replaced as voice of Cyclonus during the fourth season by Jack Angel.
Joe Gladwin	Wally Batty	Last of the Summer Wine	45	1987-03-11		9	Character killed off, death mentioned on screen in following episodes.
Jack Clark	Announcer	Wheel of Fortune		1988-07-21	Bone cancer	8	Replaced by M.G. Kelly until Charlie O'Donnell took over.
Jack Haig	Monsieur Roger LeClerc	'Allo 'Allo!	51	1989-07-04	Cancer	5	Character written out as preferring to leave René's Café to go back to prison (where he came from at the start of the show) because the food was better there. Replaced by his brother Ernest LeClerc, portrayed by Derek Royle.
Derek Royle	Monsieur Ernest LeClerc	'Allo 'Allo!	8	1990-01-23	Cancer	6	Character recast, role taken over by Robin Parkinson.
Jim Henson	various Muppets, most notably Ernie and Kermit the Frog	Sesame Street		1990-05-16	Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome	21	Some characters recast with other Muppet performers, most notably Steve Whitmire, who assumed the roles of Ernie and Kermit. A number of other characters, however, were retired outside of special occasions.
Kevin Peter Hall	Harry	Harry and the Hendersons	16	1991-04-10	AIDS-related pneumonia	1	Character recast with Dawan Scott taking over the role.
Arthur Pentelow	Henry Wilks	Emmerdale		1991-08-06	Heart attack		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Redd Foxx	Alphonso Royal	The Royal Family	7	1991-10-11	Heart attack	1	Character killed off. The show was retooled with Jackee Harry being brought in as Al and Victoria's other daughter, who moved in with the Royals to help them overcome Al's loss. Despite this move being well-received, the show was cancelled at the end of the season.
Richard Hunt	Various Muppets	Sesame Street		1992-01-07	AIDS complications	22	Recast with other Muppet performers. David Rudman has taken over the majority of the characters that were not retired due to Richard's death.
Larry Riley	Frank Williams	Knots Landing	111	1992-06-06	AIDS-related kidney failure	13	No on-screen explanation given.
Robert Lansing	Capt. Paul Blaisdell	Kung Fu: The Legend Continues	24	1994-10-23	Cancer	2	Character written out.
Hugh O'Connor	Lonnie Jamison	In the Heat of the Night		1995-04-07	Ballistic trauma, self-inflicted	8	Final TV movie, which had already completed production, was dedicated to O'Connor when it aired about a month after his death.
Linda Gary	Aunt May	Spider-Man	28	1995-10-05	Brain cancer	3	Character recast for the fourth season; taken over by Julie Bennett.
Doris Grau	Lunchlady Doris	The Simpsons		1995-12-30	Respiratory failure	7	Character initially retired, but brought back years later with Tress MacNeille as the new voice actress.
David Doyle	Lou Pickles	Rugrats		1997-02-26	Heart attack	5	Character recast; replaced by Joe Alaskey.
Dermot Morgan	Father Ted Crilly	Father Ted		1998-02-28	Heart attack	3	Morgan had already completed filming on the final episode of the show.
Phil Hartman	Bill McNeal	NewsRadio		1998-05-28	Ballistic trauma, inflicted by his wife, Brynn Hartman	5	Character killed off with a heart attack at the beginning of the season in a tribute episode. Replaced for the fifth (and final) season by long time friend Jon Lovitz as Max Louis.
	Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz, et al.	The Simpsons	54				Major recurring characters of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz retired, occasionally being used in background shots.
Phil Leeds	Judge Dennis 'Happy' Boyle	Ally McBeal	5	1998-08-16	Pneumonia	2	Character killed off.
Gene Siskel	Host	Siskel & Ebert		1999-02-20	Complications from brain surgery		Show renamed to Roger Ebert & the Movies, with Ebert accompanied by guest critics; Richard Roeper later joined Ebert as permanent co-host.
David Strickland	Todd Stities	Suddenly Susan		1999-03-22	Suicide by hanging	3	Character dies offscreen.
Buster Merryfield	Uncle Albert	Only Fools & Horses		1999-06-23	Brain tumour	7	Merryfield died in 1999 and Albert's death was written into the next episode.
Bill Owen	Compo Simmonite	Last of the Summer Wine	186	1999-07-12	Pancreatic cancer	21	Character killed off with a heart attack and addressed in a special episode. Bill Owen's son Tom Owen plays character's on screen son Tom Simmonite in following episodes.
Mary Kay Bergman	Liane Cartman, Sheila Broflovski, et al.	South Park	44	1999-11-11	Ballistic trauma, self-inflicted suicide	3	Recast with other voice actresses.
Madeline Kahn	Pauline Fox	Cosby	60	1999-12-03	Ovarian cancer	4	Character presumably killed off. A special tribute episode, with Kahn's castmates giving out-of-character tributes to her, was aired a few weeks after her death.
Nancy Marchand	Livia Soprano	The Sopranos		2000-06-18	Lung cancer and emphysema	3	Character killed off.
Kathleen Freeman	Mrs. Gordon	As Told by Ginger		2001-08-23	Lung cancer	2	Character written out as having retired. Original ending of episode "No Hope For Courtney" was to have Mrs. Gordon come back to work as a teacher.
Gordon Wharmby	Wesley Pegden	Last of the Summer Wine	139	2002-05-18	Lung cancer	23	Character killed off, death implied on screen in following episodes.
Josh Ryan Evans	Timmy Lenox	Passions	302	2002-08-05	Complications of heart surgery		Character was killed off in the episode that aired the day of his death. The character was originally planned to be brought back in later episodes, but had to be written out instead.
Lynne Thigpen	Ella Mae Farmer	The District		2003-03-12	Cerebral hemorrhage	3	Character killed off from the cancer she was in remission from. Third season finale included a tribute to her character.
	Luna the Moon	Bear in the Big Blue House				4	Show went on four-year hiatus.
Thora Hird	Edie Pegden	Last of the Summer Wine	152	2003-03-15	Stroke	24	Character killed off, death implied on screen in following episodes.
Harry Goz	Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy	Sealab 2021		2003-09-06	Multiple myeloma	3	Character written out as having left Sealab to fight in "The Great Spice Wars". Replaced by his son Michael as Captain Bellerophon "Tornado" Shanks.
Jaclyn Linetsky	Caillou	Caillou		2003-09-08	Traffic accident		Character recast; replaced by Annie Bovaird.
	Megan O'Connor	15/Love					Character killed off with a plane crash, with Sébastien Dubé.
Vadim Schneider	Sébastien Dubé						Character killed off with a plane crash, with Megan O'Connor.
John Ritter	Paul Hennessy	8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter		2003-09-11	Undiagnosed aortic dissection	2	Character killed off (believed to be with a heart condition), with his death explained in a subsequent episode. A new character, portrayed by James Garner, was introduced to replace Ritter's character.
	Clifford	Clifford the Big Red Dog	68				Series ended; replaced by prequel Clifford's Puppy Days.
Tony Capstick	Policeman	Last of the Summer Wine	33	2003-10-23		25	Character written out, and replaced by another policeman, portrayed by Louis Emerick.
Rod Roddy	Announcer	The Price is Right		2003-10-27	Colon cancer Breast cancer	19	Replaced in April 2004 by Rich Fields (on-air auditions were held in the interim).
Richard Biggs	Milo Morton	Strong Medicine		2004-05-22	Aortic dissection	5	Character killed off.
David Bailey	Alistair Crane	Passions		2004-11-25	Drowned in his pool		Character recast with John Reilly taking over the role.
Jerry Orbach	Lennie Briscoe	Law & Order: Trial by Jury	2 (Trial by Jury) 282 (all Law & Order programs)	2004-12-28	Prostate cancer	1	Character never seen again; character's off-screen death mentioned on other shows within the Law & Order franchise.
Stan Richards	Seth Armstrong	Emmerdale		2005-02-11	Emphysema		Character killed off with a heart attack while flying home from Australia.
John Spencer	Leo McGarry	The West Wing	155	2005-12-16	Heart attack	7	Character killed off with a heart attack; running mate Matt Santos (portrayed by Jimmy Smits) wins presidential election.
Mako Iwamatsu	Iroh	Avatar: The Last Airbender	31	2006-07-21	Esophageal cancer	2	Voice work already completed for the second season, had one non-speaking appearance in the beginning of the next season and was then recast with Greg Baldwin, who accurately imitated his predecessor's voice and voiced the character for the third and final season, along with two guest appearances in season two of the sequel series.
Steve Irwin	Crocodile Hunter	The Crocodile Hunter		2006-09-03	Stingray injury	5	Series cancelled.
Christopher Allport	Andrew Campbell	Mad Men		2008-01-25	Avalanche	1	Character killed off with a plane crash.
Mark Speight	Presenter	SMart	173	2008-04-07	Suicide by hanging	14	A special tribute to Mark Speight was broadcast. Along with the final two series' new format, guest presenters appear each week to assist the two presenters, Kirsten O'Brien and Mike Fischetti.
Stanley Kamel	Dr. Charles Kroger	Monk	46	2008-04-08	Heart attack		Character killed off with a heart attack and replaced as Adrian Monk's psychiatrist by Dr. Neven Bell, portrayed by Héctor Elizondo.
Clive Hornby	Jack Sugden	Emmerdale		2008-07-03	Cancer		Character killed off with a heart attack.
Kathy Staff	Nora Batty	Last of the Summer Wine	246	2008-12-13	Brain tumor	29	Character written out as visiting Australia, and replaced by Barbara Young as her sister, Stella, who is house-sitting for her.
Wayne Allwine	Mickey Mouse	Mickey Mouse Clubhouse	99	2009-05-18	Complications caused by diabetes	3	Character recast for season 4; replaced by Bret Iwan as the current voice of Mickey Mouse.
Maggie Jones	Blanche Hunt	Coronation Street		2009-12-02			Character killed off.
Charlie O'Donnell	Announcer	Wheel of Fortune		2010-11-01	Heart failure	22	Replaced in June 2011 by Jim Thornton (on-air auditions were held in the interim).
Elisabeth Sladen	Sarah Jane Smith	The Sarah Jane Adventures		2011-04-19	Cancer	5	Production suspended before the commencement of filming of three planned 2-part serials, resulting in an abbreviated broadcast season and leaving some story arcs and plot points unresolved.
Andy Whitfield	Spartacus	Spartacus		2011-09-11	Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	4	Character recast with Liam McIntyre taking over the role.
Betty Driver	Betty Williams	Coronation Street	2,800-plus	2011-10-15	Pneumonia		Character killed off with an illness.
Ernest Borgnine	Mermaid Man	SpongeBob SquarePants	15	2012-07-08	Kidney Failure	8	Status unknown; possibly written out (alongside Barnacle Boy)
Jerry Nelson	The Count and other characters	Sesame Street		2012-08-23	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	42	Many of Nelson's characters recast; taken over by Matt Vogel. An episode loosely inspired by Jerry's death and centered on The Count aired in 2013.
Larry Hagman	J.R. Ewing	Dallas	356 (original series) 17 (revival series)	2012-11-23	Acute myeloid leukemia	2	Character killed off with two fatal gunshot wounds (a reference to the "Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger of the original series), an episode revolving around his funeral, and an episode detailing his master plan.
Richard Thorp	Alan Turner	Emmerdale		2013-05-22			Character killed off in his sleep.
Cory Monteith	Finn Hudson	Glee	81	2013-07-13	Heroin and alcohol overdose	5	Production delayed; character killed off in a special tribute episode without specifying cause of death.
Lee Thompson Young	Barold "Barry" Frost	Rizzoli & Isles		2013-08-19	Ballistic trauma, self-inflicted	4	Production suspended; character 'on holiday' at the end of the 4th season, then killed in a car accident on the way home in the 5th season opener, character was given a funeral in the second episode with ongoing mentions.
Marcia Wallace	Edna Krabappel	The Simpsons	178	2013-10-25	Pneumonia	25	Character retired, later killed off screen. Edna's death (which includes previously recorded dialogue by Wallace) is acknowledged in the 25th-season episode "The Man Who Grew Too Much."
Christopher Evan Welch	Peter Gregory	Silicon Valley	5	2013-12-02	Cancer	1	Character killed off in the Serengeti.
Carol Ann Susi	Debbie Wolowitz	The Big Bang Theory	39	2014	Cancer	8	Character died in her sleep while on vacation in Florida.
Don Pardo	Announcer	Saturday Night Live	726	2014-08-18	Natural causes	38	Replaced by former SNL cast member Darrell Hammond.
Anne Kirkbride	Deirdre Barlow	Coronation Street	1,439	2015-01-19	Breast cancer		Character killed off, possibly with a brain aneurysm.
Shirley Stelfox	Edna Birch	Emmerdale		2015-12-07	Cancer		Character killed off with ovarian cancer.
Alan Young	Scrooge McDuck	Mickey Mouse	2	2016-05-19	Natural causes	3	Character recast; no official replacement has been named. Currently, John Kassir is alternating with David Tennant (who is voicing him in the DuckTales reboot).
Anton Yelchin	Jim Lake Jr.	Trollhunters		2016-06-19	Blunt traumatic asphyxia	3	Character recast; replaced by Emile Hirsch.
Carrie Fisher	Angela	Family Guy	32	2016-12-27	Cardiac arrest	15	Character killed off in Season 17 episode, Pawtucket Pete
Miguel Ferrer	Owen Granger	NCIS: Los Angeles	105	2017-01-19	Throat cancer	8	Character initially disappeared to take care of "unfinished business", but Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and Sam (LL Cool J) later find out he died under a tree.
Bill Paxton	Detective Frank Rourke	Training Day	13	2017-02-25	Complications from heart surgery	1	Series cancelled.
Glenne Headly	Diane Futterman	Future Man	5	2017-06-08	Pulmonary embolism	1	Character Killed Off
Adam West	Mayor West	Family Guy	117	2017-06-10	Leukemia	15	Character killed off and has appeared as a ghost. West had recorded his voice for 5 future episodes which they plan to use.
Anthony Bourdain	Himself (host)	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown		2018-06-08	Suicide		Series Ended
Barry Elliott	Barry Chuckle	Chuckle Time	12	2018-08-05	Bone cancer	1	Series Cancelled
Luke Perry	Fred Andrews	Riverdale	42	2019-03-04	Stroke	3	TBD

See also

• List of entertainers who died during a performance
• List of television programs in which one character was played by multiple actors
• List of works published posthumously

External links

• 10 Actors who Died During TV Shows

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