18 Actors Who Died During Production (First Episode / Last Episode)

While it may be the sad fact that death comes for us all, sometimes it hits harder than others. There’s something deeply unsettling about seeing a familiar TV presence, one who we thought was (in a way) immortalized by our screens, pass away. We don’t mean to sound grim, but the death of beloved actors on set holds a dark fascination for us and we suspect it will for you as well.

While we wait to see who replaces Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, we wanted to take a look at how Hollywood has historically handled this stuff. The inevitable passing of icons, ill-timed illnesses, and other tragic deaths don't necessarily mean the death of the production, but studios have to get extremely creative to ensure it's not a flop. 

Here are a few famous actors you forgot were at work when they died, and a few rising stars who are now most notable for their tragedies: