Apocalypse plots are always unforgiving, and AMC's The Walking Dead is known for its extreme violence and gore. Although they're not very fast, walkers can still be ruthless predators. And, humans are one's worst enemy during an end of the world scenario. It's no wonder that it's a world in which only the strongest and the smartest can make it out alive.
Both walkers and humans have taken way too many characters from the show, many of which were fan favorites. But, out of all the characters that have passed, who had the saddest deaths to date?
Updated June 17th, 2021 by Ashely Claudino: AMC's The Walking Dead aired six bonus episodes, a great addition to the tenth season of the show. These episodes allowed fans to take a deeper look and see another side of new characters like Princess as well as characters they've been familiar with for much longer, such as Negan. Unfortunately, this means that there were characters whose deaths we had to witness as well. However, there are also characters whose fate remains unknown. It is possible that some of the characters that were introduced in these episodes will be mentioned in the next season or that they'll even make an appearance.
10 Dale Horvath
- Season 2, Episode 11: Judge, Jury, Executioner
Dale, the eldest of the group at the time, was an honest man. He would always try to be the voice of reason, keeping the group from making immoral decisions. Unfortunately, not only is his death heartbreaking due to how much everyone cared about him, but also because of how avoidable it was.
Dale's death is indirectly caused by none other than Carl Grimes. Carl taunts a nearby walker, stuck in a swamp. In an afford to chase after Carl, the walker frees itself. Dale is then ambushed and disemboweled by the walker. Daryl hears his screams and shoots him in an attempt to spare him from the agonizing pain he's in.
9 Shiva, Ezekiel's Tiger
- Season 8, Episode 4: Some Guy
Animals are everyone's weak spot. In fact, someone even created a website so others will know whether or not to watch a movie or a show based on the pet dying. And unfortunately, a pet (or rather, a huge tiger) dies on the 4th episode of season 8.
Ezekiel had a very close relationship with Shiva. When he worked as a zookeeper, he saved her life after she fell and ripped her leg open. Shiva was always very grateful and always faithful to Ezekiel after this. She even sacrificed her own life in order to help her wounded friend escape, taking as many walkers down as she could before being overpowered and eaten by a crowd of them.
8 Lizzie Samuels
- Season 4, Episode 14: The Grove
Lizzie, a troubled child that killed her sister, was convinced that walkers weren't all that bad. It's hard not to tear up just thinking about how Carol must've felt when making the decision to end Lizzie. The young girl reminded her of her daughter, Sophia. Carol also had to remind herself that she had to protect those she loved, and Lizzie had become a serious danger, especially after saying she was going to make Judith turn as well. Melissa McBride did an amazing job playing Carol in this episode.
7 Sergeant Abraham Ford
- Season 6, Episode 16: Last Day on Earth
Abraham is not only extremely brave, but he's also very loyal. After losing his family, he finds Eugene, who gives him purpose to live, allegedly going to Washington and saving the world. Initially, he dates Rosita, but eventually breaks up with her as he grows stronger and stronger feelings for Sasha.
During his final moments, he flashes Sasha a peace sign. This had a deeper meaning. He had done this before in episode 1 of season 6 and then later in episode 11. Unfortunately, he is killed in the 1st episode of season 7 (technically the last of Season 16 but there was a large hiatus before it aired) and flashes the peace sign because he knows that he will not survive.
6 Merle Dixon
- Season 3, Episode 15: The Sorrowful Life
Merle Dixon had never been a nice guy. However, in his last few scenes on-screen, he really began to redeem himself by helping Rick and his brother's group.
Unfortunately, this leads to the Governor killing him and leaving him to turn. Later, Daryl finds him but he has already turned into a walker. After having been separated for so long and just now reunited, the feelings of having to put down his brother wash over him and he cries frantically, it's a very heartbreaking moment to watch.
5 Lucille Smith
- Season 10, Episode 22: Here's Negan
With the bonus episodes this season, fans finally got to meet the infamous Lucille, the woman that inspired the name of Negan's bat. Not only that but another side of Negan was shown, before he became who he is on the show.
Her death was incredibly upsetting. Although Negan had not been the best husband before Lucille got sick, he really tried to change and dedicate himself to her. In the end, it became too difficult to find chemo so she could beat cancer, she accepted her death and took her own life to spare Negan from having to find more day after day.
4 Hershel Greene
- Season 4, Episode 8: Too Far Gone
Hershel, a former alcoholic that gave up drinking the day his daughter Maggie was born, learned a lot from the group and taught them a lot as well. Previously believing that all walkers were only people that had become sick, he refused to kill them and would place them in his barn hoping for a cure.
He grew as a person on the show and quickly became a fan favorite. His death at the hands of the Governor was unnecessarily violent and destroyed his daughters as they watched.
3 Glenn Rhee
- Season 7, Episode 1: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be
Glenn suffered one of the most brutal deaths on the show to date. He always fought hard for the group and was happy next to his wife, Maggie. Not long before, Maggie's pregnancy had been revealed and, unfortunately, Glenn never gets to meet his son, Hershel.
As one of the few characters still left from the first season of the show, it isn't easy to accept his fate, especially at the hands of Lucille, Negan's baseball bat. His death episode is one of the most tragic episodes to air. It's one in which the group doesn't win, and there is no happiness at all.
2 Lori Grimes
- Season 3, Episode 4: Killer Within
Although Lori wasn't the most liked character due to her initial indecision between Shane and Rick, her death scene is still too crushing for most fans to watch. A mother sacrificing herself for her child will always tug at people's heartstrings, and this is the perfect example of that. Lori does not think twice and shows just how selfless she is toward her children. She accepts that she has to have a C-section so that her baby can live even though she will die, very painfully. Lori tells Carl that he's the best thing she ever did, along with a few other tragic words, and then Maggie initiates the procedure. Lori eventually loses consciousness and dies.
1 Carl Grimes
- Season 8, Episode 9: Honor
Carl gets bitten trying to help Siddiq, a doctor, for the good of the community. He hands off his father's hat, which he's been wearing for the majority of the show to his little sister, Judith. The entire episode is dedicated to Carl creating memories with those around him. It is obvious how much he grew as a person throughout the show and how brave he became.
It's especially heartbreaking when he tells Judith that his mother, Lori, told him he was going to "beat this world." He tells her that he couldn't, but he knows she will.