10 TV Characters Who Were Killed After the Actor Died: From Finn Hudson on 'Glee' to Fred Andrews on 'Riverdale'

Bill McNeal From 'NewsRadio'

Played by Phil Hartman , Bill McNeal died of a heart attack on NewsRadio after the actor passed away in 1998.

The beloved Saturday Night Live alum was shot to death by his wife, Brynn , in a murder-suicide incident. He was sleeping when Brynn shot him twice in the head and once on his right side using his .38 handgun.

Finn Hudson From 'Glee'

Glee released a tribute episode , "The Quarterback," after Cory Monteith died from mixed drug toxicity at the age of 31 in 2013. The show did not disclose Finn Hudson's cause of death .

Fred Andrews From 'Riverdale'

Luke Perry shocked Hollywood after his representative, Arnold Robinson , confirmed his death. He was 52.

"The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time," Robinson said in a statement to USA Today .

Perry reportedly passed away after suffering a massive stroke .

His death left Riverdale writers to decide what would happen to his character, Fred Andrews. The loss led them to cast his Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Shannen Doherty to play the role of the woman his character saved in a hit-and-run incident.

Riverdale Season 4 also paid tribute to Perry and held a funeral for his character.

Glen Carter From 'The Blacklist'

Clark Middleton appeared on The Blacklist as Glen Carter. He and his character both died from West Nile Virus.

J.R. Ewing From 'Dallas'

On November 23, 2012, Larry Hagman died from complications amid his long battle with cancer . He was 81. With his death, Dallas ' showrunners decided to end his character's life from gunshot wounds.

Lennie Briscoe From 'Law & Order'

Jerry Orbach left a legacy with his Law & Order character, Lennie Briscoe. He passed away after his battle with prostate cancer in 2004.

Meanwhile, his character was immediately written out as the show transitioned to Law & Order: Trial by Jury .

Neil Winters From 'The Young and the Restless'

In February 2019, Kristoff St. John was found dead at a Woodland Hills home at the age of 52. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined he died from " myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery ,” with alcohol as a contributing factor.

The Young & the Restless bid goodbye to his character, Neil Winters, by showing him die from a stroke.

Owen Granger From 'NCIS: Los Angeles'

Miguel Ferrer appeared on NCIS: Los Angeles as Owen Granger. He was diagnosed with throat cancer while working on the show.

Following Ferrer's death, the show confirmed his character passed away peacefully after having the same health issue.

Paul Hennessy From '8 Simple Rules'

John Ritter 's official cause of death was an undetected aortic dissection. 8 Simple Rules paid tribute to him in an episode showing how his character, Paul Hennessy, died after collapsing in a grocery store.

Peter Gregory From 'Silicon Valley'

Before Silicon Valley premiered, Christopher Evan Welch died at the age of 48 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The show mirrored his death through his character, Peter Gregory, and held a memorial in an episode.