Few shows have featured as many on-screen deaths as The Vampire Diaries. During its eight seasons, nearly every main character died. A lot of them didn’t end up being permanent because dealing with the supernatural the way The Vampire Diaries did allow them to play loosely with these things.
Even with most deaths being undone, they still carried a lot of emotional weight. Sometimes it was because a beloved character was gone, other times it was the impact it had on those closest to them, and other times it was because of some heroic act. Whatever the reason, we’ve narrowed it down to the ten deaths we feel were the most heartbreaking.
Updated on April 27th, 2021 by Gabriela Silva: The Vampire Diaries was a beloved show that amassed a huge fanbase for its vampire storyline. Fans were enamored by its main and supporting characters throughout its 8 seasons on the air. Being so attached from episode to episode meant that certain character deaths hit hard. These Vampire Diaries deaths were so heartbreaking they had fans reaching for the tissue box.
14 Nora & Mary Louise
These deaths weren’t 100% heartbreaking but it still was because of Nora and Mary Louise’s relationship. Out of all the characters in the show, Nora and Mary Louise had the longest relationship. Both of them were vampires who started having feelings for one another in the 1880s.
Nora and Mary Louise’s love had to keep hidden as it was forbidden. In modern times, they were finally able to be together openly. Their story turns complex when captured by the Armory and marked by Rayna. Rayna plans to kill every vampire and in an effort to stop her, Nora and Mary Louise sacrifice themselves.
13 Sheila Bennett
Sheila Bennett was a supporting character in the first couple of seasons of the show. She’s the one who comes to help Bonnie realize her powers. As Bonnie’s grandmother and a powerful witch, Sheila was a force to be reckoned with.
Sheila being a powerful witch helps Damon and Stefan in “Fool Me Once.” Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, and Elena need to open the tomb to get to Katherine. To do so requires immense magic. Bonnie and Sheila use everything they have. Afterward, Sheila looks drained and rests in her room. Bonnie soon finds that Sheila passed away from using too much magic.
12 Tyler Lockwood
Tyler was a character that fans initially disliked when the show first started. he was cocky, self-centered, and a bully. Over time, Tyler battles his own demons when acting the Lockwood werewolf gene. As the show progressed, Tyler left Mystic Falls and started working for the Armory.
In “You Decided That I Was Worth Saving,” Damon is under the control of Sybil and runs into Tyler. Tyler tries to reason with Damon and turn good again. It all proves useless as Damon kills Tyler for good.
11 Jo Laughlin
Fans were gutted to see how Jo would end her story in The Vampire Diaries. Alaric has come a long way since the beginning of the show and many fans believe he would finally get his happy ending with Jo. Jo’s story in the show was complex as she was part of the Gemini coven and has a twin brother named Kai.
Kai became the most notorious and evil villain on the show. On Jo and Alaric’s wedding day, Kai returns to kill his family and destroy the coven. Kai stabs Jo resulting in her death. Fans were on edge about Jo’s pregnancy until learning that the coven used their powers to transfer her twins to Caroline’s womb.
10 Carol Lockwood
Though Carol Lockwood was never the main character, her death still carried a lot of weight with the viewers. Mother to werewolf Tyler, Carol was one of the first humans we see who is aware of the existence of vampires. She was something of a villain early on, but she grew into a loving mother figure.
What made her death so sad was the circumstances surrounding it. Carol was murdered in cold blood by Klaus as revenge when he found out about Tyler’s plan to kill him. The sight of a blood-covered Klaus drowning Carol as snow falls around them set to a chilling rendition of “O Holy Night” is haunting. Not a merry Christmas at all.
9 Lexi Branson
Not often does a character make their debut in an episode, die by the end of it, and leave so many fans so crushed. That, however, was the case for Lexi Branson. In the eighth episode of the series, “162 Candles,” we first see Lexi. She’s Stefan Salvatore’s best friend who shows up to celebrate his birthday.
At the time, Damon was plotting behind Stefan’s back. One of his dastardly moves involving him staking Lexi in order to look like a hero in front of the humans of Mystic Falls. Fans grew to love the bond between Lexi and Stefan quickly, so losing her so promptly was devastating. She remained a fan favorite and appeared in a handful of episodes until the show ended.
8 Elizabeth Forbes
Like Carol Lockwood, Liz Forbes was an adult character who remained human throughout the series. The way she comes to accept her daughter Caroline as a vampire showed a lot of growth, and her friendship with Damon was one filled with sweet moments.
It wasn’t anything supernatural that ended Liz’s life. Instead, she passed away from cancer during season six. Caroline losing her loving mother was enough to make this a heartbreaker, but the flashbacks of their relationship shown as her life ended caused the waterworks to start for many viewers.
7 Anna
Season one strikes again. Jeremy Gilbert starts dating Anna, and the two immediately became a favorite couple. Even when we find out that Anna is a vampire who knew Katherine back in the 1800s, we still can’t help but like her. The whole reason she helps to open the tomb of vampires is to get her mother out and not to hurt anyone.
Her death came as a result of her trying to protect Jeremy. John Gilbert sets off his device that hurts vampires, and she gets incapacitated by vervain. From there, John stakes her helpless body in front of Damon. It marked another considerable loss for Jeremy, who had already been through so much in just about 20 episodes.
6 Rose
Rose is another in a long line of characters who made a significant impact in a short time. Played by Lauren Cohan long before her days on The Walking Dead, Rose formed a bond with Damon Salvatore as she helped him uncover information about the Originals.
Rose becomes the first vampire to suffer from a werewolf bite, showing viewers how serious of a threat they are. Her suffering is lessened when Damon helps give her a warm dream. The two share a conversation before he stakes her as a mercy kill. The scene is as beautiful and heart-wrenching as they come.
5 Jeremy Gilbert
Death is often not permanent on The Vampire Diaries, and Jeremy Gilbert is a prime example of that. However, this season four death still hurt a ton. He and his sister Elena had lost countless friends and family members throughout the show, but they always had each other. That all changed when Silas came into play.
On the mission to find the world’s first immortal, Katherine masqueraded as Elena to trick Jeremy. She fed him to Silas, who snapped his neck. Jeremy’s dead body was sad on its own, but when you add in the reaction Elena had when she found out, it becomes genuinely devastating.
4 Enzo St. John
No character that entered this show as late as Enzo St. John did was as beloved. The charismatic vampire started as a cellmate of Damon’s during the 1950s. Damon betrays him and leaves him to die, so Enzo turns off his humanity. He eventually becomes a series regular in the final three seasons.
During his time on the show, Enzo becomes the love interest of Bonnie Bennett. His love for the witch is so powerful that it keeps him from falling under the full control of the siren Sybil. Unfortunately, Enzo is brutally killed by Stefan in one of the last episodes of the show. It came as a shock, especially since Enzo was about to set off on a happy life with Bonnie.
3 Jenna Sommers
When the show begins, Jenna Sommers is the parental figure in Elena and Jeremy’s lives. As their aunt, she takes over when the Gilberts die in a car crash. For two seasons, Jenna was an innocent human who we all liked. Her bond with her family and Alaric Saltzman were endearing.
Jenna’s death makes a strong case for the most tragic in series history. She is turned into a vampire by Klaus purely to be used as a sacrifice during a ritual to release his werewolf side. He is successful in killing her, right in front of Elena, who helplessly watched as another parental figure was taken for her. And all for selfish reasons she had nothing to do with.
2 Stefan Salvatore
Stefan Salvatore is a character who died a few times on the show. His season five death is the one we’re listing here. Julian, a traveler, takes over the body of hybrid Tyler Lockwood. His purpose was to cause the death of a doppelganger, and a season prior we found out that Stefan was a doppelganger of Silas.
Using Tyler’s immense power, Julian rips Stefan’s heart from his chest in one swift move. Stefan dies in the arms of Caroline, who screamed for help as he faded away. Stefan’s ultimate death was in the final episode of the show. Now human, Stefan realizes what he must do to save everyone. He injects Damon with the cure and dies with Katherine in hellfire. Fans wept as he leaves behind everyone even his new wife Caroline.
1 Alaric Saltzman
Speaking of characters who died multiple times, there’s Alaric Saltzman. He might have the record for most deaths in one show. Alaric goes through hell in season three before his dark alter ego works with the witch Esther to become an Original Vampire. The plan was for him to kill Klaus and be the “vampire to end all vampires.”
Alaric took back control and decided it was too dangerous to complete his transition. He accepted that death was coming and had a string of emotional goodbyes with everyone. The most heartbreaking came as the bromance between him and Damon came front and center. Their goodbye left everyone in tears, even if Esther came in and ruined it moments later.
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