Most shocking Chicago Med, Chicago PD and Chicago Fire deaths
Over the course of its cumulative 20+ seasons, the One Chicago franchise shows of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD have seen their fair share of cast departures.
While some characters simply walked away from the job with the door left wide open for them to return, others weren’t quite as lucky in meeting a more grim fate.
Across the three One Chicago series, you never know how a character’s storyline might end and the franchise has kept us on our toes in delivering some truly emotional goodbyes in the form of heartbreaking character deaths.
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Saying goodbye to a beloved character is never easy, especially when the franchise does such a good job at developing said characters and making audiences fall in love with them. So when a character is killed off without any notice, we can’t help but to turn on the waterworks and enjoy a good ugly cry moment.
Which character deaths hit us hardest and left us ugly crying as we attempted to process things in the moment? Let’s take a look at the nine most heartbreaking One Chicago character deaths so far!
How did Hawkins die on Chicago Fire?
In Chicago Fire season 11 episode 3, “Completely Shattered,” 51 is called to a movie theater fire that quickly gets out of hand. Heading into the episode we were told someone would not make it out alive, which had fans panicking over which member of 51 could be in danger. Little did we know it was Chief Evan Hawkins who we needed to be worried about.
When Hawkins showed up on the scene to assist with coordinating triage, we didn’t think anything of his presence — after all, the teaser suggested it was someone inside the fire that wouldn’t make it. Instead, it was Hawkins who ended up being the one to perish in the most unexpected of ways.
After 51’s crews made it out of the fire safely our attention shifted to Hawkins who noticed an elderly man stumbling out the door. He quickly rushed to his side in an attempt to help him to safety which was when the building collapsed upon the two. While Hawkins was able to save the life of the elderly many, he died doing so dying from injuries sustained when the building collapsed upon him.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Where do we even begin?! From the moment we first met Hawkins, we quickly fell in love with the Paramedic Chief and that love only continued to grow as we got to know the character even more. Then came the unexpected pairing of Hawkins and Violet in what we can only describe as a whirlwind romance.
The two quickly stole our hearts and became one of the show’s most beloved couplings. Fans couldn’t get enough of the two and it looked like we’d get to finally see them enjoy being a couple after the truth about their secret romance came out at the end of season 10.
Instead, Hawkins died right in front of Violet in a truly shocking and unexpected manner. When the building collapsed upon him, our hearts sank as we knew the worst was coming. But the moment that sent us truly spiraling was having to watch Violet process the loss of Hawkins in a devastating sequence in which Hanako Greensmith delivered a truly flawless performance.
How did Olinsky die on Chicago PD?
Imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, Olinsky (Elias Koteas) met an untimely demise at the end of Chicago PD season 9 when he was stabbed multiple times in prison. After being raced to the hospital for emergency treatment, the attack would prove fatal leading to his shocking death.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Right up until the end, Olinsky refused to turn his back on Voight (Jason Beghe). Even though he landed him behind bars, Olinsky never once waivered in his commitment to protecting his friend which eventually led to him paying the ultimate price.
What made his death so heartbreaking is that we never really had the chance to bid Olinsky a proper goodbye, with his death coming out of nowhere and rocking us to our core. Sure we had said goodbye to other characters on the show before, but not even those moments could prepare us for having to say goodbye to Olinsky when and how we did.
How did Anna die on Chicago PD?
After killing crime lord Javier Escano, Anna went into a panic and tried to flee town. After getting into a car accident while on the run, Voight did his best to try to reason with Anna by providing her with assurances that he would do everything in his power to protect her.
In a panic, Anna pulled a gun on Voight and shot him in the shoulder. Having witnessed the exchange, Upton quickly pulled her weapon and shot Anna before she could fire off any further rounds. While Anna was quickly rushed to Med, she was sadly pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Look, we get it, Anna definitely didn’t make the best decisions as evident in the sequence that led to her death in the season 9 finale. However, that doesn’t mean our hearts still didn’t break when she met her untimely end in the season 9 finale.
From the moment we met Anna, it was clear she was someone just trying to make the most of the hand life dealt her. All she wanted was to try to do some good and to keep her son safe. While she did manage to do both, it’s just a shame that she couldn’t save herself and ended up going down the path that led to her death.
How did Shay on Chicago Fire?
While responding to a call, the firefighters and paramedics of 51 found themselves trapped within a collapsed following an explosion. After watching the building collapse before our eyes, our hearts were quickly broken when Severide (Taylor Kinney) stumbled upon Dawson (Monica Raymund) frantically working to revive an injured Shay (Lauren German).
Despite the best efforts of both of her long-time friends, it was too late as Shay had died as the result of the injuries she sustained during the explosion and corresponding building collapse.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Although there was concern that not everyone would make it out of the explosion, nothing prepared us for the death of Shay. Her death not only shook everyone in 51, but it left us absolutely speechless and devastated.
How did Benny Severide die on Chicago Fire?
In an unexpected and shocking twist, it was revealed that Benny (Treat Williams) suffered a stroke in season 7’s “All The Proof.” He was taken to Chicago Med for treatment, but unfortunately, he passed away just before Severide was able to say goodbye.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: There is no denying that Benny was a complicated character and wasn’t exactly father of the year; however, there’s also no denying that he loved Severide and tried to do right by his son — as evident by his final act in helping oust Jerry Gorsch.
What made us most emotional, though, was the fact that Severide never got the chance to say goodbye to Benny and that his last interaction was far from positive.
How did Nadia die on Chicago PD?
After a run-in with escaped serial killer Gregory Yates, Nadia (Stella Maeve) was abducted by the heinous criminal. As we would later discover, Yates brutally raped and murdered her before leaving her body for the CPD and Special Victims Unit to discover.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Where do we even begin?! Nothing could have prepared us for the horrendous way in which Nadia’s life came to an end. The moment she first encountered Yates, we had a sinking feeling in our stomachs but when the reality finally we were an absolute puddle.
Nadia had come so far from her escort days and was on the path to a bright future, studying to become an officer while working for the CPD. For her story to end as it did, left us absolutely gutted and her death to this day ranks the most heartbreaking not just within the One Chicago franchise but in all of TV.
How did Ava Bekker die on Chicago Med?
After Connor (Colin Donnell) rejected her romantic advances, Ava (Norma Kuhling) quickly spiraled out of control in going down a path we never anticipated coming which culminated with Ava killing Connor’s dad, Cornelius. Once the truth came out, Ava attempted to make off into the night but her plan to flee was thwarted when Connor confronted her.
When Connor once again rejected her and refused to let her escape, Ava committed suicide by using a scalpel to cut her carotid artery.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: Given the way Ava’s time on Chicago Med came to an end, you might be slightly puzzled as to what about her death made us ugly cry. In simplest terms, the reason Ava’s death was so heartbreaking was due to the nature in which she left the show.
Sure the character was getting a bit stale, but she deserved so much more than to go from brilliant surgeon to a crazed killer, and all because one man rebuffed her advances. There were so many ways the writers could have chosen to write the character off the show if they felt she had reached the end of her journey and the plot twist which began in season 4 and concluded in the opening hour of season 5 felt like a true disservice to the character.
How did Otis die on Chicago Fire?
In the season 8 premiere, “Sacred Ground,” Chicago Fire picked up where the previous season had ended with 51 in danger while responding to a mattress factory fire. When the boiler exploded, the floor above it collapsed creating an intense moment that left the lives of each responding member of 51 up in the air.
When the dust settled, Cruz (Joe Minoso) discovered an unresponsive and massively burned Otis (Yuri Sardarov). Otis was rushed to the hospital where he eventually succumbs to his injuries, after an emotional goodbye with his long-time best friend, Cruz.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: As Chicago Fire has proven to us in the past, it’s not opposed to killing off beloved members of the cast to show the great lengths first responders go to every day to save the lives they vow to serve and protect. Still, nothing quite prepared us when the moment came to say goodbye to Otis, who had long been the heart of 51.
There wasn’t a dry eye in sight when Otis slipped away after Cruz’s emotional goodbye. Then when we discovered Otis’s last words to Cruz were “Brother, I will be with you always,” there was no stopping the tears that followed.
How did Justin Voight die on Chicago PD?
In an attempt to help a friend caught in a dangerous predicament, Justin (Josh Segarra) wound up in the crosshairs and ultimately paid the ultimate price.
Shortly after his friend was found murdered, Voight and Lindsay (Sophia Bush) discovered Justin in the trunk of a car in grave condition after being shot in the head. Justin was later taken to Med where he was put on life support, leaving his family to make the difficult decision to pull the plug and let him go.
Why it Made Us Ugly Cry: To be honest if Justin’s death had come earlier in the series it wouldn’t have been quite as shocking given he wasn’t exactly on the straight and narrow when we first met him. What made his death so heartbreaking was that it occurred just when Justin had managed to turn his life around and start a family of his own.
Just when it seemed Justin could put his past behind him and made serious progress in cleaning up his act, his life came to an end –and all while just trying to help his friend.
For the latest Chicago Fire season 11, Chicago Med season 8, and Chicago PD season 10 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD categories at One Chicago Center.