TV Shows Where The Main Character (in real life) Died

[Dave Andrews]

Back to the real world, KTLA 5 news anchor Hal Fishman a few years ago.

And since we're visiting the real world occasionally on this thread, how about Jessica Savitch (auto crash, early 1984 IMSMR).

[BobbyNBC10]

Back to the real world, KTLA 5 news anchor Hal Fishman a few years ago.

And since we're visiting the real world occasionally on this thread, how about Jessica Savitch (auto crash, early 1984 IMSMR).

Savitch died in October,1983 just before her new contract was to be signed which would have had Jessica filling for Jane Pauley on The Today Show while she was on maternity leave (Connie Chung from NBC News At Sunrise and Weekend Nightly News Saturday got it),subbing for then Sunday Nightly News anchor Chris Wallace (now on Fox News Sunday) , political coverage of Decision '84,Also, I think the Digests, and another newsmagazine. I think it was to have been Summer Sunday USA, which was eventually anchored by Linda Ellerbee and Andrea Mitchell.

[mleach]

Back to the real world, KTLA 5 news anchor Hal Fishman a few years ago.

And since we're visiting the real world occasionally on this thread, how about Jessica Savitch (auto crash, early 1984 IMSMR).

Savitch died in October,1983 just before her new contract was to be signed which would have had Jessica filling for Jane Pauley on The Today Show while she was on maternity leave (Connie Chung from NBC News At Sunrise and Weekend Nightly News Saturday got it),subbing for then Sunday Nightly News anchor Chris Wallace (now on Fox News Sunday) , political coverage of Decision '84,Also, I think the Digests, and another newsmagazine. I think it was to have been Summer Sunday USA, which was eventually anchored by Linda Ellerbee and Andrea Mitchell.

Had Savitch had lived, I would be surprised if she would had stayed with NBC and even if NBC and Jessica would had agreed to a new contract, I have a feeling many affiliates wouldn't be very happy with more of Jessica Savitch. The reason for all of this? Her infamous on-air meltdown which had taken place only weeks before her death. Also the "rumors" of her stange behavor such as weekend sex parties, doing lots of drugs as well being very difficult to work with, being abused by her men..etc...

Jessica Savitch no question about it, she had a dark side just like everyone else.  Only in Jessica's case..it was quite public.

[blackgold]

Regarding the "Suddenly Susan" episode "A Day In The Life," I finally found out who it was: it was David Strickland!  What irks me was when they cut the story off before we could find out his character's fate!  Yuch!

[Bill Myers]

Not sure if this thread means the Main character died while the TV show was still in production?  Or if the main character of the show died after the TV show went off the air?

If that's the case:
Hugh Beaumont - Leave it to Beaver (multiple main characters)
Diff'rent Strokes - (The girl - can't remember her name)
                          and of course Gary Coleman - Arnold. 
Brian Keith - Hardcastle and McCormick
Robert Reed - Brady Bunch

[BobbyNBC10]

Back to the real world, KTLA 5 news anchor Hal Fishman a few years ago.

And since we're visiting the real world occasionally on this thread, how about Jessica Savitch (auto crash, early 1984 IMSMR).

Savitch died in October,1983 just before her new contract was to be signed which would have had Jessica filling for Jane Pauley on The Today Show while she was on maternity leave (Connie Chung from NBC News At Sunrise and Weekend Nightly News Saturday got it),subbing for then Sunday Nightly News anchor Chris Wallace (now on Fox News Sunday) , political coverage of Decision '84,Also, I think the Digests, and another newsmagazine. I think it was to have been Summer Sunday USA, which was eventually anchored by Linda Ellerbee and Andrea Mitchell.

Had Savitch had lived, I would be surprised if she would had stayed with NBC and even if NBC and Jessica would had agreed to a new contract, I have a feeling many affiliates wouldn't be very happy with more of Jessica Savitch. The reason for all of this? Her infamous on-air meltdown which had taken place only weeks before her death. Also the "rumors" of her stange behavor such as weekend sex parties, doing lots of drugs as well being very difficult to work with, being abused by her men..etc...

Jessica Savitch no question about it, she had a dark side just like everyone else.  Only in Jessica's case..it was quite public.

In the bio of Savitch Golden Girl by Alanna Nash, it said that her agent, Ed Hookstratten who represented her along with Tom Brokaw, Tom Snyder, Bryant Gumbel and Chris Wallace plus other people like Johnny Carson, O.J. Simpson, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, wanted to take Jessica somewhere else, like CBS and 60 Minutes.

If that had happened, I think she may have had a chance to replace Dan Rather and to fill in for him on The Evening News or replace Diane Sawyer on the Morning News instead of Phyllis George. Hookstratten also represented the 1971 Miss America from Texas and NFL Today Sportscaster who was Allen Funt's 1975-76 Candid Camera sidekick who replaced John Bartholomew Tucker and preceded Jo Ann Pflug who was then married to Chuck Woolery who did Wheel before Sajak.

[M.J.]

Some Canadian examples, all in news:

CFPL London co-anchor Neil Stevens was killed in a car crash in the wee hours of a Sunday morning in July 1987. He had just anchored the 6 PM news on Friday.

Tom Cherington was a longtime news anchor at CHCH Hamilton. He died of natural causes over a weekend in 1989. He anchored right up until the week before he died, anchoring the noon newscast at the end.

And of course, there was sportscaster Brian Smith at CJOH Ottawa, shot to death by a mentally ill man as he exited the station following a 6 PM newscast in August 1995.

Back in the United States, there was an anchor or reporter at WJBK Detroit who died in a car crash in the early 90s, but I do not remember the details or the name.

[KeithE4]

Not sure if this thread means the Main character died while the TV show was still in production?  Or if the main character of the show died after the TV show went off the air?

If that's the case:
Hugh Beaumont - Leave it to Beaver (multiple main characters)

Hugh Beaumont died in 1982, almost two decades after Leave it to Beaver left the air.

Diff'rent Strokes - (The girl - can't remember her name)

Dana Plato died in 1999.  She left Different Strokes in 1984.

Brian Keith - Hardcastle and McCormick

Brian Keith died in 1997.  Hardcastle & McCormick was cancelled in 1986.

Robert Reed - Brady Bunch

Robert Reed died in 1992.  The Brady Bunch and its bunch of sequels had already run their course.

[MattParker]

And since we're visiting the real world occasionally on this thread, how about Jessica Savitch (auto crash, early 1984 IMSMR).

Savitch died in October,1983 just before her new contract was to be signed which would have had Jessica filling for Jane Pauley on The Today Show while she was on maternity leave (Connie Chung from NBC News At Sunrise and Weekend Nightly News Saturday got it),subbing for then Sunday Nightly News anchor Chris Wallace (now on Fox News Sunday) , political coverage of Decision '84,Also, I think the Digests, and another newsmagazine. I think it was to have been Summer Sunday USA, which was eventually anchored by Linda Ellerbee and Andrea Mitchell.
[/quote]

Had Savitch had lived, I would be surprised if she would had stayed with NBC and even if NBC and Jessica would had agreed to a new contract, I have a feeling many affiliates wouldn't be very happy with more of Jessica Savitch. The reason for all of this? Her infamous on-air meltdown which had taken place only weeks before her death. Also the "rumors" of her stange behavor such as weekend sex parties, doing lots of drugs as well being very difficult to work with, being abused by her men..etc...

Jessica Savitch no question about it, she had a dark side just like everyone else.  Only in Jessica's case..it was quite public.
[/quote]


In the bio of Savitch Golden Girl by Alanna Nash, it said that her agent, Ed Hookstratten who represented her along with Tom Brokaw, Tom Snyder, Bryant Gumbel and Chris Wallace plus other people like Johnny Carson, O.J. Simpson, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, wanted to take Jessica somewhere else, like CBS and 60 Minutes.

If that had happened, I think she may have had a chance to replace Dan Rather and to fill in for him on The Evening News or replace Diane Sawyer on the Morning News instead of Phyllis George. Hookstratten also represented the 1971 Miss America from Texas and NFL Today Sportscaster who was Allen Funt's 1975-76 Candid Camera sidekick who replaced John Bartholomew Tucker and preceded Jo Ann Pflug who was then married to Chuck Woolery who did Wheel before Sajak.
[/quote]

Savitch was charismatic as a local news "presenter."  NBC tried to send her out as a beat reporter, something for which she was completely unqualified by (lack of) experience and temperament.  She would have been OK filling in reading news off a TelePrompTer - unless you-know-what hit the fan while Dan was away and she would have had actually to "anchor" live coverage of something.  She probably would have done well on a morning show.  But what either network should have done was put her back doing major market local news (after a visit to Betty Ford). 

[mleach]

Some Canadian examples, all in news:

CFPL London co-anchor Neil Stevens was killed in a car crash in the wee hours of a Sunday morning in July 1987. He had just anchored the 6 PM news on Friday.

Tom Cherington was a longtime news anchor at CHCH Hamilton. He died of natural causes over a weekend in 1989. He anchored right up until the week before he died, anchoring the noon newscast at the end.

And of course, there was sportscaster Brian Smith at CJOH Ottawa, shot to death by a mentally ill man as he exited the station following a 6 PM newscast in August 1995.

Back in the United States, there was an anchor or reporter at WJBK Detroit who died in a car crash in the early 90s, but I do not remember the details or the name.

Baltimore had the great Randy Blair. Randy was only 30 I believe when he had joined WJZ channel 13 in 1981. Of course these was during the days of Jerry Turner and Al Sanders, and yes Oraph Winfrey too, well  it didn't take very long for Randy to end up being Baltimore's top sports anchor. 
However in January 1983 while playing basketball for some charity, Blair had suffered a fatal heart attack right on the court. He was only 32.
Years later on the findadeath site the subject of Randy Blair had popped up and two interesting things were mentioned by a family member of Al Sanders.  One..Oprah Winfrey had sang at the funeral the Debbie Boone song "You Light Up My Life" ( why do I doubt this one? ) and second..WJZ has in their valuts a tape of Blair having his heart attack. That I wouldn't be surprised but I doubt the tape would ever see the light of day for obvious reasons.