When characters die on television shows or in movie franchises, we mourn. Sometimes for years, depending on how beloved, or for a moment.
When the actors die while in the midst of filming or in the off-season or in the middle of the viewing season, it hits us a little harder. We like to emesh ourselves in the shows we watch the same as we do with the books we read. Those characters become part of our lives, entwined, and when they are gone, when the one who brought them to live on screen for us is gone… There is no comfort for our sadness. We are shocked and in disbelief. The show will never be the same and we will never be able to watch it in the same way we once did…
Some of my favorites who’ve passed away over the years…
Actor John Ritter – Character at the time: Paul Hennessy on 8 Simple Rules
Actor Jerry Orbach – Detective Lenny Brisco on Law and Order (beloved also as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast)
Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing… (actress Kathry Joosten passed away last year, but I still remember her on The West Wing and she will always be Mrs. Landingham, no matter what else she did after…)
The news broke about Cory Monteith over the weekend and has devastated millions of Glee fans. I didn’t watch Glee. I caught snippets from time to time, mainly scenes with Jane Lynch, but as I was flipping channels one night several years ago, I came across Glee. I stopped because they were singing Sweet Caroline. And then, there was another one, not long ago and I think for the sadness people feel right now, maybe it’s appropriate, too…
~lissa
Awww Lissa, you brought tears to my eyes and honestly the second clip is such a good one of Corey. I haven’t watched the show this season but watched it faithfully the first two seasons and I’m still in shock that he’s gone. I’m with you Kathryn Jooten…I remember when her character died on the show…such a touching and amazing episode. I also remember when the actor John Spencer (Leo McGarry) passed away and they wrote it into the show…I cried buckets.
I am so saddened over Cory’s death. I’ve been a Glee fan from the beginning of the show and Cory’s version of Just the Way You Are is Monkey’s & my song. I play it for her every morning when I wake her up. Glee won’t be the same without him.
I’m a fan of Glee, though I haven’t watched all of this season. I couldn’t imagine what his family and friends are going through at this time.
I agree with you, that when characters we “know” pass, we feel it. 🙁
Sad.
One of my favorites was River Phoenix.
I was a total Gleek. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Growing up singing the way I did, it was bound to be a show I gravitated toward. Although he wasn’t my favorite character, it hit pretty hard when he passed away. I feel for Lea Michele, his girlfriend (both on and off screen). She’s asked for privacy to grieve. I hope they give it to her. This hit me about as hard as Brandon Lee’s death. I only watched The Crow once because it was the movie he died making (and his father’s tragic loss somehow made his more impactful for me).