Through its unparalleled ability to make audiences truly empathize with its characters, The Walking Dead has proven to be anything but the typical zombie apocalypse show. As a result, the deaths of some of the series’ most kind-hearted characters hit even harder and often left viewers devastated.

Even though character deaths in The Walking Dead are common—over a thousand occur across the show’s 177 episodes—some undoubtedly hurt much more than others. Just as audiences have grown emotionally numb to this never-ending killing spree, these tragic character deaths mercilessly tug at viewers’ heartstrings.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on April 1, 2024: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live takes the franchise to new heights as Rick Grimes and Michonne reunite to bring the CRM to the ground. Although The Walking Dead has come a long way from the simplicity of its flagship series, the original show still includes some of the most heartbreaking and moving deaths of the entire franchise.

20Rosita Espinosa Was The Walking Dead’s Last Big Death

Actor
Christian Serratos

First Episode
4×10: “Inmates”

Last Episode
11×24: “Rest in Peace”

The final major death in The Walking Dead is Rosita Espinosa, played by Christian Serrators. A part of the series since Season 4, Rosita became a mainstay of The Walking Dead over the years. She eventually becomes a leader in Alexandria and the mother of her infant daughter, Coco.

In the series finale, Rosita is bitten by a walker while attempting to escape the hordes that had infiltrated the Commonwealth’s walls. She manages to survive the night’s events, cherishing her last moments with her friends and daughter before peacefully passing with Eugene by her side.

19Luke Abrams Died With His Friends All Around Him

Actor
Dan Fogler

First Episode
9×05: “What Comes After”

Last Episode
11×24: “Rest in Peace”

Luke Abrams was a member of Magna’s group who joined the Coalition of Communities during The Walking Dead‘s ninth season. A former music teacher with enigmatic energy and an eye for making new friends, Luke became a beloved member of the community until the series’ final episode.

In the opening sequence of The Walking Dead‘s finale, Luke is bitten by a walker when a horde invades the Commonwealth. His friends do their best to save him by amputating his infected leg, but Luke is already too far gone. The group gets a long and drawn-out goodbye with their friend before he dies, making for one of the most emotional openings to any episode of The Walking Dead.

18Noah’s Death Came Way Too Soon

Actor
Tyler James Williams

First Episode
5×04: “Slabtown”

Last Episode
5×14: “Spend”

Noah was a short-lived character who appeared in the fifth season of The Walking Dead. A young former member of Dawn Lerner’s hospital community, Noah joined Rick’s group after Beth’s death, eventually joining them as they entered Alexandria. However, he didn’t survive much longer after reaching this safe community.

Noah was memorably killed when a horde of walkers devoured him, with Glenn Rhee forced to watch from only inches away, powerless to help. Noah’s death was especially tragic because the series had built him up to be an important character moving forward, only to kill him off within a handful of episodes. All the people who had died to keep him safe along the way laid down their lives for nothing and all the potential he may have once had was lost in a few unfortunate moments.

17Amy Harrison Was The Walking Dead’s First Big Death

Actor
Emma Bell

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
1×05: “Wildfire”

The first season of The Walking Dead introduced several survivors who had banded together shortly after the zombie outbreak. Among these was Amy Harrison, Andrea’s younger sister. Amy was the first major death in the series, having been bitten by a walker when they invaded the campsite one tragic night.

Although Amy was not on The Walking Dead for very long, her short tenure made it clear that she was a very sweet and kind young woman who many people got along with. Her sister’s reaction to her premature death only makes her death more tragic, and it remains one of the most poignant scenes in the show’s flagship season.

16Shane Walsh’s Death Leaves A Permanent Void In Rick’s Heart

Actor
Jon Bernthal

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
2×12: “Better Angels”

Rick owes his best friend Shane everything—without the latter, Lori and Carl would most likely have died within the first week of the apocalypse. Unfortunately, Shane instigates a romantic relationship with Lori that’s quashed when Rick unexpectedly returns. These forbidden feelings later rise to the surface in Season 2, when Shane begins acting more recklessly.

At one point, Shane openly tries to kill Rick and take the latter’s family for himself. Rick manages to seize control of the situation and stabs Shane, whose reanimated corpse is subsequently neutralized by Carl. Although fans despise Shane when he dies, his death leaves a permanent void in Rick, Lori, and Carl’s lives.

15Merle Dixon Sacrifices Himself In An Attempt To Kill The Governor

Actor
Michael Rooker

First Episode
1×02: “Guts”

Last Episode
3×15: “This Sorrowful Life”

Compared to Shane, Merle Dixon’s character arc takes the opposite course. He begins as a total backstabber with a penchant for attacking his allies but ends the story as a quasi-hero. Merle’s behavior is initially reprehensible, explaining why the others have no choice but to abandon him atop an Atlanta building.

They return later for Merle Dixon but find him missing. In Season 3, Merle teams up with the Governor, who’s eventually revealed to be a villain with zero empathy for anyone except himself. When Merle captures Michonne and tries to barter her to the Governor, she convinces him to change his mind. The governor then attacks the Woodbury soldiers, killing several before he’s caught and executed. The saddest moment comes when Daryl Dixon has to put down his reanimated brother.

14Tyreese Williams Has An Entire Episode Dedicated To His Last Day

Actor
Chad L. Coleman

First Episode
3×08: “Made to Suffer”

Last Episode
5×09: “What Happened And What’s Going On”

Over the course of The Walking Dead‘s first five seasons, Tyreese Williams experiences several conflicting emotional states. His happy-go-lucky nature devolves into a quest for revenge following Karen’s murder, and he even beats Rick up for no reason. Carol, who had justifiably killed Karen, doesn’t reveal her secret until she and Tyreese are bound together with a devastating secret of their own: Lizzie’s execution.

Tyreese ultimately learns to forget and forgive, but The Walking Dead had different plans for him. At the very least, he has an entire episode dedicated to him before he dies of a Walker bite. Despite his relatively minor role, Tyreese has one of the saddest Walking Dead deaths.

13Abraham Ford Dies With A Courageous Smirk On His Face

Actor
Michael Cudlitz

First Episode
4×10: “Inmates”

Last Episode
7×01: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

The Season 6 cliffhanger left fans desperate for answers. Everyone wanted to know who Negan had smashed to death in the finale episode. In the Season 7 premiere, however, it’s revealed that Negan chooses Abraham Ford, a gruff yet likable side character. Abraham has always been brave, saving Eugene Porter from certain death and driving him across the country.

Abraham Ford doesn’t abandon Eugene after discovering that the latter had lied about knowing the cure for the Wildfire virus, further showcasing his integrity. Abraham remains courageous, even when Negan selects him to die. Abraham’s delightfully crass final words slightly take the sting off his death.

12The Pike Victims Showed The Whisperers’ Cruelty

Main Actors
Alanna Masterson (Tara) Katelyn Nacon (Enid)

First Episodes
Tara – 4×06: “Live Bait” Enid – 5×12: “Remember”

Last Episode
9×15: “The Calm Before”

In the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead‘s ninth season, the Whisperers finally make their move, kidnapping several people from the Kingdom’s fair. Later, a group led by Michonne, Daryl, and Carol discovers these individuals’ reanimated heads strung up on pikes, marking the Whisperer Territory.

In one masterfully directed scene, The Walking Dead reveals ten deaths, including two longtime main characters Tara and Enid. The scene shows how brutal and dangerous the Whisperers are, building them up as the main villains for The Walking Dead‘s tenth season. Things only get worse, however, at the reveal of the Whisperers’ final victim, who had a special connection to Carol.

11Henry Sutton Is Brutally Decapitated And Mounted On A Stake

Actor
Matt Lintz

First Episode
7×02: “The Well”

Last Episode
9×15: “The Calm Before”

Henry Sutton is barely a toddler when the outbreak begins, so he’s only known a world filled with vicious zombies. He initially lives in the Kingdom with his brother Benjamin, but the latter’s murder leaves him distraught and vengeful. Henry overcomes his negative feelings with the help of Carol and King Ezekiel, who also adopt him as their son.

Henry might have stayed alive if he hadn’t come between Alpha and her daughter Lydia, but this shows his honorable nature. Henry is almost a stand-in for Carl Grimes, at least until Alpha has him brutally decapitated. Carol and Ezekiel are emotionally wrecked upon seeing their beloved child’s head on a spike, making Henry’s fate one of the worst deaths in The Walking Dead.

10Dale Horvath Tragically Dies From A Surprise Walker Attack

Actor
Jeffrey DeMunn

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
2×11: “Judge, Jury, Executioner”

Dale was introduced to viewers in the first season of The Walking Dead and quickly became a level-headed father figure among the survivors. While he initially seems rash and opinionated, these mannerisms come from a good-natured, protective place — a fact that made his death even more unfortunate.

The fact viewers couldn’t see Dale’s death coming, combined with the harsh reality that Carl was partially responsible since he had provoked the walker that killed Dale, makes Dale’s death truly tragic. If audiences hadn’t begun sobbing by this point, they likely broke into tears when Daryl put Dale out of his misery. This is easily one of the saddest TWD deaths.

9Mika Samuels Is Coldly Murdered By Her Sister Lizzie

Actors
Kyla Kenedy Brighton Sharbino

First Episode
4×01: “30 Days Without an Accident”

Last Episode
4×14: “The Grove”

After the untimely death of Sophia Peletier, Carol was left reeling in unparalleled grief and mourning. Because of this, introducing Mika and Lizzie Samuels in Season 4 gave viewers a cruel hope that Carol could leave her tragic past behind and look after the two young girls as her adoptive daughters.

However, this hopeful future quickly darkens when Lizzie kills her sister in an attempt to “prove” that walkers are no different from people. Even though Mika had nothing but love to give and clearly admired Lizzie despite her odd empathy towards walkers, Mika’s kind-hearted nature made her death one of the hardest to watch in The Walking Dead.

8Siddiq Dies At The Hands Of The Whisperer Spy Dante

Actor
Avi Nash

First Episode
8×01: “Mercy”

Last Episode
10×07: “Open Your Eyes”

Siddiq was first introduced in Season 8 and quickly grew on viewers thanks to his selfless demeanor and refreshing belief that killing walkers is an ethical way to free the spirits of the reanimated. Siddiq intrigued audiences thanks to his complex character and experience following the Fair Massacre in Season 9.

However, Siddiq’s death in Season 10 at the hands of Whisperer spy Dante seemed to come out of nowhere. Viewers were equally devastated and enraged by a death many saw as highly unnecessary. Siddiq’s death is made even more tragic when his former lover, Rosita, is forced to kill him for good after he reanimates and nearly attacks their daughter.

7Sophia Peletier’s Offscreen Death Still Shocked Viewers

Season 2, Episode 1: “What Lies Ahead”

Actor
Madison Lintz

First Episode
1×03: “Tell It to the Frogs”

Last Episode
2×01: “What Lies Ahead” 2×07: “Pretty Much Dead Already” (reveal)

Sophia is Carol’s daughter and is perhaps most notable for her affable demeanor and remarkable ability to befriend just about anyone. Since it’s particularly easy to empathize with children like Sophia, who have been forced to grow up extremely fast to survive the zombie apocalypse, her death in The Walking Dead‘s second season was immensely devastating.

Besides being her mother Carol’s entire world, Sophia’s death was even more tragic because she had been separated from the survivor group beforehand. The group only realizes Sophia has died when they come across a walker herd and realize that a reanimated Sophia is one of them. Although it happens offscreen, Sophia has one of the saddest deaths in The Walking Dead.

6Lori Grimes Dies From Blood Loss After Giving Birth To Judith

Actor
Sasha Wayne Callies

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
3×04: “Killer Within”

As a character, Lori often gets a bad rap because of her affair with Shane and her apparent disregard for Rick’s emotions. However, in the tragic final moments of her life, she proves how selfless and honorable she is. This primarily manifests when Lori unhesitatingly sacrifices her life so her daughter can live.

As it becomes apparent that the only way Lori could give birth to a live infant would be by having a C-section that would undoubtedly kill her, Lori resigns herself to that cruel fate and tearfully says goodbye to Carl. Soon after Lori dies from blood loss, Carl shoots her in the head to prevent her from reanimating. The fact a child has to “neutralize” his mother made Lori’s death heartbreaking.

5Hershel Greene Gets Brutally Decapitated In Front Of His Friends

Actor
Scott Wilson

First Episode
2×02: “Bloodletting”

Last Episode
4×08: “Too Far Gone”

Hershel is first introduced to viewers in Season 2 of The Walking Dead and becomes a fan favorite because of his caring nature. This defining trait initially irritated fans since Hershel stubbornly believed that walkers were still living people who were sick and needed a cure. He eventually realized how delusional this thought was and bravely acknowledged his change of heart.

Hershel grew on fans in Season 4 and acted as the perpetual voice of reason. His death in the middle of this season left viewers particularly devastated. Making Hershel’s death even more tragic, he was decapitated in front of his friends and stabbed by a heartbroken Michonne after he reanimates.

4Paul “Jesus” Rovia Is The First Victim Of The Whisperers

Actor
Tom Payne

First Episode
6×10: “The Next World”

Last Episode
9×08: “Evolution”

Paul “Jesus” Rovia is first introduced in Season 6 of The Walking Dead as a witty and abundantly charming trickster willing to do anything to protect his friends. Even though his relationships with Rick and Daryl are off to a rocky start after the duo holds him at gunpoint, he gains their trust by saving Daryl’s life.

As Jesus and the other Hilltop survivors battle against a supposed herd of walkers in Season 9, Jesus is caught off guard by a Whisperer, who stabs him in cold blood. Jesus is then stabbed in the head by Aaron, one of his closest friends, to prevent him from reanimating. Jesus has one of the saddest TWD deaths, mainly because fans hoped for a potential romance between him and Aaron.

3Beth Greene Is Killed When Dawn Accidentally Shoots Her

Actor
Emily Kinney

First Episode
2×02: “Bloodletting”

Last Episode
5×08: “Coda”

Beth, Hershel’s youngest daughter and Maggie’s half-sister, was first introduced to viewers in Season 2 as a sheltered young girl who wasn’t fully aware of the zombie apocalypse that was now her reality. However, fans grew to love Beth as she overcame the overwhelming hopelessness that nearly consumed her earlier in the season.

As Beth’s survivor group navigates a tricky hostage situation with the Grady Memorial survivors in Season 5, Beth retaliates against Dawn’s calculated thought process. Dawn reflexively shoots her in the head, killing Beth instantly. Since Beth had gradually become a core part of the survivor group, her unexpected death in Season 5 shocked many viewers to their very core.

2Carl Grimes Suffers A Walker Bite While Saving Siddiq’s Life

Walking Dead universe on its head. But the finale of the season could change the franchise in a huge way.

Actor
Chandler Riggs

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
8×09: “Honor”

Even though Rick Grimes is undoubtedly the protagonist of The Walking Dead for the show’s first nine seasons, his son Carl plays a critical role throughout the series. Carl is initially a shy boy whose selfish actions sometimes have tragic consequences. However, he’s always willing to do anything to protect his loved ones and fellow survivors.

Carl’s protective nature and willingness to help others are exemplified in the unfortunate events leading up to his death. As Carl guides Siddiq to Alexandria, he is bitten by a walker. Rather than force Rick or Michonne to put him down, Carl takes his fate into his own hands and shoots himself in the head offscreen. Very few viewers could have held back their tears when this happened.

1Glenn Rhee’s Death Received Numerous Complaints From Fans

Actor
Steven Yeun

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Last Episode
7×01: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

From the moment Glenn saved Rick from a herd of walkers in The Walking Dead‘s first season, fans instantly gravitated toward his loyal nature and admirable resourcefulness. As Glenn developed a refreshing relationship with Maggie and vowed to honor Hershel’s memory following his tragic death, he cemented himself as the selfless heart of the group.

While most viewers love to hate the nefarious yet charming Negan, his brutal scare tactic and killing rampage enraged fans and left them emotionally drained. Of the two casualties resulting from this tragic scenario, Glenn had one of the saddest Walking Dead deaths because he persevered through his final moments of intense agony to share his last words with the love of his life.