Lost but never forgotten! For this list, we’ll be looking at the most tragic film passings that packed an unforgettably emotional punch. Plot points will be discussed, so beware of spoilers ahead!
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00:00-"We couldn't find a better dog.
00:02You know what made you such a great dog is you loved us every day no matter what."
00:11Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 movie deaths that still hurt.
00:18-"I don't know why you cry, but it's something I can never do."
00:24For this list, we're looking at the most tragic film passings that packed an
00:28unforgettably emotional punch. We're focusing exclusively on human deaths from live-action
00:33flicks though, so while Mufasa and Marley's deaths destroyed us, you won't find them here.
00:38Plot points will be discussed, so beware of spoilers ahead.
00:42Which of these deaths are you still reeling from? Let us know in the comments below.
00:47Number 20. Lieutenant Nick Goose Bradshaw, Top Gun.
00:51Goose and Maverick are the best of pals. The two do practically everything together,
00:55like attending Top Gun and flying past the control tower and spooking their superior.
00:59It's the type of brotherly love that is often found in the military.
01:08But the military is dangerous. The two enter a flat spin during an exercise and eject,
01:13and while Maverick makes it to safety, Goose slams into the canopy at high speed.
01:17The impact kills him, and Maverick suffers intense survivor's guilt.
01:21The reactions to the death are just as upsetting as the event itself,
01:25with Maverick and Goose's family grieving in equal measure.
01:28His passing and legacy was then made into a major subplot in Top Gun Maverick,
01:33resulting in buckets of tears.
01:44Deborah Winger received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for playing the wickedly sympathetic
01:48Emma Greenway Horton. Emma has a fraught but ultimately loving relationship with her
01:52domineering mother Aurora, and she remains close to Aurora as she goes through painful
01:57transitions in her personal life. Not only is she cheated on, but she's eventually diagnosed
02:10with cancer at a relatively young age. Her mother is there to support her as she weakens from the
02:15sickness and eventually dies, and it all proves unbelievably difficult. It's hard to see a parent
02:21losing their child, and the respective performances bring a highly uncomfortable aura of realism to
02:26the tragedy. This death may hit a little too close to home for many, but then again, great art often
02:32does.
02:45Rocky IV was easily the goofiest film in the Rocky franchise, eschewing reality in favor of
02:50ridiculous Cold War metaphors, a Terminator-esque opponent, and a talking robot. That being said,
02:56it still found time for drama, represented by the death of Apollo Creed. We watched Apollo grow
03:04throughout the Rocky series from cocky villain to mentor, and he eventually became Rocky's
03:09closest friend. When Rocky lost Apollo, he lost a part of himself, and the rest of the movie is
03:14devoted to exploring his grief and isolation, both physically and mentally. Rocky was never the
03:28same after Apollo's death, and it still hurts to think about. With the help of an iconic cast,
03:38Steel Magnolias tells a devastating story about sisterhood and sickness.
03:43In one of her earliest roles, Julia Roberts plays Shelby Eatonton Latchery,
03:47a young woman with type 1 diabetes.
04:01The character was modeled after the sister of author and screenwriter Robert Harling,
04:05who passed away in 1985. Like Harling's sister, Shelby also passes away from the effects of
04:11diabetes. The character suffers fatal complications following the birth of her child and an organ
04:16transplant. It's a horrendous death that's impossible to be indifferent to. When her
04:20family finally decides to take her off life support, there is not a dry eye in the house.
04:36Number 16. Jack Twist, Brokeback Mountain. Jack Twist meets Ennis Del Mar on the titular
04:42Brokeback Mountain, and it's love at first sight. But there are more than a few problems.
04:47This is the 1960s in the prototypically masculine American West, and Ennis and Jack are both cowboys.
04:54It's a flurry of obstacles that prevents them from openly embracing each other,
04:58and the resulting story is one of complete tragedy.
05:01After years of on-and-off hesitant romance, Jack dies in a freak accident while changing attire,
05:09or at least that's what Jack's wife tells Ennis. Ennis believes that he was violently killed.
05:15The ambiguity makes it all the more tragic, not only taking away Ennis' true love,
05:20but also preventing him from getting any real closure.
05:23He used to say he wanted his ashes scattered on Brokeback Mountain,
05:27but I wasn't sure where that was.
05:30Number 15. Maggie Fitzgerald, Million Dollar Baby. This boxing film from Clint Eastwood
05:35makes a major plot detour that comes with incredible emotional power. At first, Million
05:41Dollar Baby seems like a typical boxing movie about an underprivileged underdog who defeats
05:45her personal demons in the ring.
05:47Other truth is, my brother's in prison, my sister cheats on welfare by pretending
05:51one of her babies is still alive, my daddy's dead and my mama weighs 312 pounds.
05:55But a freak accident occurs during a title fight, and Maggie breaks her neck on a stool.
06:00Unwilling to live with quadriplegia, she asks that her trainer Frankie end her life,
06:05and he eventually acquiesces.
06:07The hospital sequences are hauntingly performed by Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood,
06:11and the unexpected and controversial ending is a major tonal whiplash from
06:16the uplifting material that came before.
06:18This whiplash made Million Dollar Baby a classic whose ending is still
06:22widely referenced to this day.
06:34Number 14. Harry Stamper, Armageddon. Nothing hurts quite like saying goodbye to a parent,
06:39and that feeling is captured in devastating fashion between Harry and Grace.
06:43Harry's death hits twofold.
06:52He decides to stay on the asteroid, as the remote detonator is destroyed in a rockstorm.
06:57In doing so, he takes the place of A.J., and finally gives him his blessing to marry Grace.
07:02Always thought of you as a son. Always.
07:07I'd be damn proud to have you marry Grace.
07:10It's a touching moment between father and pseudo-son,
07:13and it's followed by another touching moment between father and daughter.
07:16Harry says goodbye to Grace through satellite, and his tough-guy exterior
07:20finally melts away to reveal the humane and tender man underneath.
07:24I'm so scared. I'm so scared.
07:27I know it, baby. But there won't be anything to be scared of soon.
07:34Grace loses her father,
07:36but she can be content in knowing that he died a hero and the savior of humanity.
07:41I'll look in on you from time to time, okay, honey?
07:47I love you, Grace.
07:49I love you, too.
07:51Gotta go now, honey.
07:52Daddy, no!
07:53Roberto Benigni was the first man to win the Best Actor Oscar for a non-English showing,
07:59and he did it playing Guido Orefici.
08:01Guido is sent to a concentration camp with his young son Josue,
08:04but in order to preserve his childish innocence,
08:07Guido pretends that it's all a big game.
08:24He maintains the ruse until the very end,
08:27even while he's being literally taken to his death.
08:30He spots Josue watching and quickly gets back into character,
08:33doing a goofy walk for his son before he's killed.
08:36We're spared the visual,
08:38but that image of his final defiant walk is simply unforgettable.
08:42It's an incredible visual metaphor for the challenges and ultimate rewards of fatherhood.
08:46This classic Nicholas Sparks story chronicles the bittersweet lives of Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton.
08:52It's your classic poor boy, rich girl story, but with a twist.
08:56The core narrative is being told through flashbacks,
08:58and we eventually learn that it's being recounted by the elderly Noah to the now dementia-ridden Allie.
09:03You don't think it'll help?
09:05No, I don't.
09:06I don't think it'll help.
09:08I don't think it'll help.
09:09I don't think it'll help.
09:10I don't think it'll help.
09:11I don't think it'll help.
09:12I don't think it'll help.
09:13I don't think it'll help.
09:14I don't think it'll help.
09:16She remembers, doc.
09:18I read to her, and she remembers.
09:21Sometime after the tale is complete,
09:23Noah joins Allie in bed, and they die together while holding hands.
09:27Sure, maybe it's a little sappy,
09:29but it's also really beautiful and heart-wrenching,
09:31and that ending will forever live rent-free in our collective heads.
09:35Dementia is a horrible disease,
09:37and The Notebook is one of its defining portrayals in pop culture.
09:41Do you think our love could take us away together?
09:49With a mature and reserved Robin Williams playing John Keating,
09:53Dead Poets Society tells a story about the power of literature
09:56and the soul-eating effects of demanding expectations.
09:59The latter comes through in the story of Neil Perry.
10:02Neil suffers at the hands of his cruel father,
10:04who demands absolute perfection and studious obedience from his son.
10:08You're playing the part of the dutiful son.
10:11I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him.
10:13You have to show him who you are, what your heart is.
10:16The demands weigh heavily on Neil's psyche,
10:18especially when he's pulled from the boarding school
10:20for getting too attached to acting.
10:22Physically and emotionally shattered,
10:24Neil proceeds to take his own life.
10:26This results in a horrific reaction from his parents,
10:29and the scene is flawlessly performed by Kurtwood Smith and Carla Belver.
10:33This sequence cuts right to the heart,
10:35and is realistic enough to chill your blood.
10:38Oh, my son! My son! My poor son!
10:41He's alright! He's alright! He's alright!
10:43He's alright! He's alright!
10:45Number 10.
10:46Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
10:49Poor Harry Potter.
10:50He finally gets a loving family member in his godfather, Sirius Black,
10:54only for him to be ripped away at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.
10:58Sirius's end comes in the climactic battle at the Ministry of Magic,
11:02when Bellatrix hits him with the Killing Curse.
11:04The curse takes effect,
11:06and Sirius dies before we even know what happened.
11:20The confusion only adds to the tragedy,
11:23as we, like Harry, enter a state of shock.
11:26We don't want to believe it, but he is indeed actually dead,
11:29and our hearts are left broken.
11:31But the pain wasn't over,
11:33as we were then forced to watch the deaths of both Dumbledore and Dobby
11:36in subsequent films.
11:38We're not over them either.
11:51Logan served as a bookend of sorts for the superhero genre.
11:54X-Men basically kick-started the movement,
11:56and Logan closed a chapter in its history.
11:58It was as much a superhero story as it was a comment on the genre itself,
12:02which grew up, became hardened,
12:04and eventually passed the baton to a new generation.
12:09Logan's death served as both this metaphorical baton passing
12:12and the culmination of nearly 20 years worth of superhero stories and character work.
12:23This movie showed us an aging superhero well past his prime
12:26and resigned to his tragic fate,
12:28and it made for some pretty bleak viewing.
12:32People literally grew up with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine,
12:43and it was incredibly tough to see him go.
12:48Spoiler alert, the Titanic sinks.
12:50We all knew that going in,
12:52so we all figured that one of the two main characters would die,
12:55but that didn't make Jack's death any less despairing.
13:00Maybe it's the way he dies.
13:02He continues to protect Rose until the very end,
13:05sacrificing himself so Rose can lay on the drifting door.
13:08We're then forced to watch him freeze to death,
13:10and let us tell you, that did not make for easy viewing.
13:17By the end, we're left listening to Rose's desperate and pained cries
13:21as she realizes that her love has died,
13:23and Kate Winslet perfectly captures the pain and confusion of such a tragic event.
13:32There are very few things in life more tragic than the death of a child.
13:44While searching for Veda's mood ring,
13:46Thomas kicks a bee's nest,
13:48and its occupants proceed to sting him numerous times,
13:51resulting in a fatal allergic reaction.
13:54It's not so much the death scene itself that stirs the emotions,
13:56as we don't really see anything except Thomas flailing around
13:59and his glasses falling to the ground.
14:02Get away!
14:08It's Veda's reaction that really tugs at the heartstrings,
14:10and Anna Klumski sells her pain with acting skills far beyond her age.
14:14That scene in the funeral home has been indelibly ingrained in our brains since childhood,
14:19and we can't help but get emotional every time we think about it.
14:22Put his glasses on!
14:24Put on his glasses!
14:28He was gonna be an acrobat!
14:34Brooks served more as a symbol than a fully realized character.
14:37He represents the fragility of change and the inability to adapt,
14:41especially in inmates who've been locked up for decades.
14:43Brooks was imprisoned for 50 years,
14:46and has incredible difficulty adjusting to the modern world and his newfound freedom.
14:52Dear fellas, I can't believe how fast things move on the outside.
15:00In one of the most heartbreaking montages in film history,
15:03we watch him struggle with everyday traffic, loneliness,
15:06nightmares, and his job as a grocery bagger.
15:08My hands hurt most of the time.
15:11Make sure your man double bags.
15:12Last time he didn't double bag and the bottom near came out.
15:16Make sure you double bag!
15:17His final words serve as a painful statement for battling anxieties
15:20and thoughts about taking one's own life,
15:22and it is profoundly personal for anyone who's gone through such a tragic event.
15:29I doubt they'll kick up any fuss.
15:32Not for an old crook like me.
15:39S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders has always been praised
15:42for deftly conveying tragedy and mature themes for younger audiences.
15:45Perhaps the most important aspect of the story is Johnny's redemption.
15:51We'll do it for Johnny!
15:52Johnny and the Greasers save a group of children from a burning church,
15:55and Johnny suffers fatal injuries.
15:58His impending death causes him to repurpose his priorities.
16:01Not only does he stop caring about the senseless gang drama,
16:04he also tells Ponyboy to stay gold.
16:07Stay gold, Ponyboy.
16:12Stay gold.
16:13His death allows Ponyboy to live, not to mention the children,
16:16and stay gold has remained one of the most iconic quotes in children's literature.
16:20It's clear that Johnny's lessons touched not only Ponyboy,
16:23but the entire world at large.
16:30Movies don't get much darker than this.
16:33It tells the story of Bruno and Shmuel,
16:35two young boys who are caught in the midst of the Holocaust.
16:38Bruno is a young German who's indoctrinated with anti-Semitic propaganda,
16:41yet he befriends the imprisoned Shmuel.
16:50One day, Bruno decides to help Shmuel find his missing father,
16:53but the two are ferried into a gas chamber.
17:05The Holocaust is undoubtedly one of the most tragic events in human history,
17:08and by telling the story through the perspective of two children,
17:11it allows viewers a more personal glimpse into its utter depravity.
17:15This movie perfectly highlights the duality of humanity,
17:18its empathy and senseless wickedness,
17:20which makes for some truly unforgettable viewing.
17:32While we all knew it was coming, but it still hurt.
17:34Much like Logan's death,
17:36Iron Man's serves as a thematic statement regarding the history of superhero films
17:40in the 21st century, perhaps even more so.
17:50The Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Robert Downey Jr.'s
17:52endlessly charismatic Tony Stark,
17:54and Phase 3 ended with his sacrificial demise.
18:10The death is certainly sad from a pure storytelling perspective,
18:13but it's also sorrowful for what it represents,
18:15the symbolic end of what we've come to know as the MCU.
18:19Sure, we still have about a billion movies to go,
18:22but nothing will recapture the cinematic magic
18:24of watching the MCU develop throughout the 2010s.
18:37Despite all his accomplishments and all that he saw,
18:39Forrest always returned to Jenny.
18:41Forrest was no stranger to death,
18:43having seen both his mother and Bubba pass away.
18:46But it's Jenny's death that truly made an impact,
18:48both on Forrest and the viewer.
18:58While we don't see Jenny's actual death,
19:00the final moments between her and Forrest are gorgeous,
19:03and the montage where Forrest talks to her grave
19:05is one of the saddest yet most uplifting montages in film.
19:19Tom Hanks is simply spellbinding,
19:22selling every last bit of Forrest's sadness and loneliness,
19:26but also his penchant for bravery.
19:28Like Forrest says,
19:29dying is just a part of life.
19:31We just wish it weren't.
19:33Mama always said dying was a part of life.
19:44I sure wish it wasn't.
20:03There's just something about Stephen King's old-timey prison stories
20:09that really gets the waterworks going.
20:10The death of the innocent, childlike, and literally magical John Coffey
20:15is one of cinema's saddest moments.
20:17So many aspects of the scene are downright tear-inducing,
20:20including the crying officers,
20:21the swelling music,
20:22the dramatic sparks,
20:24and of course the iconic line,
20:34Don't put me to talk.
20:37I was afraid to talk.
20:39John Coffey is the very personification of love and kindness,
20:42and while he recognizes humanity's cruelness and penchant for sin,
20:45he decides to die as a scapegoat.
20:48He kill them with their love.
20:50That's how it is every day all over the world.
20:56Sound familiar?
20:57The biblical allusions allow the story to permeate more effectively,
21:00all but ensuring that we never forget the sacrifice of poor John Coffey.
21:05Do you agree with our picks?
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