DAILY DIRT: From Glenn on ‘The Walking Dead to Chuckles on ‘Mary Tyler Moore,’ these are the most heartfelt deaths of TV characters

March 9, 2025 | By Steve Eighinger Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Opinion

Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper was #winning, until he wasn't. Wikimedia Commons/Warner Bros. Television.

Daily Dirt for Sunday, March 9, 2025

Rest in peace, old friends … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,224 of The Daily Dirt

1. I would guess we all have a death of a popular TV character we’ll never forget.

It’s like losing a best friend. And it’s even worse if that death comes out of left field, totally unexpected.

Here the TV deaths that have affected me most over the years:

1. Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), “The Walking Dead”: On a program that was built around surprising deaths, this was the piece de resistance. Never did I expect Glenn to leave the series in the fashion he did — being bludgeoned by the evil Negan’s baseball bat, which, if you remember, was wrapped in barbed wire. I’m still not over Glenn’s passing.

2. Kenny McCormack, “South Park”: I know, I know. “South Park” was/is a cartoon and probably shouldn’t be included, but for Kenny to have suffered through so much abuse — cases in point: head bitten off by Ozzy Osbourne and beaten by spastic monkeys — and then to FINALLY be killed was truly sad. On the bright ide, all of the horrible stuff that happened to Kenny spurred the famous catchphrase, “They killed Kenny! You bastards!”

3. Gus Fring (Giancarlo Espositio), “Breaking Bad”: Not only did he die, he had half of his face blown off. Fring was kind of a polarizing character, a highly popular part of the lineup on this award-winning program, yet at heart a cold-blooded killer.

4. Chuckles the Clown (Richard Schaal, Mark Gordon), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”: Chuckles was frequently referred to on this classic 1970s show, yet seldom seen. Arguably, Chuckles is best known for an on-air appearance in the early years of the series when he announces the winner of the Minneapolis mayoral race on the air — in clown character. Ultimately, Chuckles died in 1975 when tragedy struck during a holiday parade. Chuckles died from injuries sustained when “a rogue elephant tried to shell him”. So sad.

5. Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), Two and a Half Men: Yeah, Charlie was more or less a schmuck, but he was the schmuck we all wanted to be. After his character left the show, it became almost unwatchable with Ashton Kutcher in the lead role.

Honorable mention: Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), “All In The Family”; Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), “M*A*S*H”; all other main characters on “The Walking Dead” who were bitten and ultimately perished; Buck the Dog, “Married … with Children”; Coach (Ernie Pantusso), “Cheers”; Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander), “NCIS”.

2. Did you know (Part 298)

That the average lifespan of an MLB baseball is seven pitches.
That most lipstick contains fish scales, which “helps create a shimmery, pearlescent effect”. You’re welcome.
That all MLB umpires must wear black underwear in case their pants split while on the job.
That in 1920, Babe Ruth outhomered the rest of the American League. Babe socked 54 longballs that year.
That there are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

3. I came across this item a couple of days ago that made me go, “Whoaaa …”

“The Most Dangerous College Campuses,” compliments of the law offices of David A. Breston, a criminal defense attorney headquartered in Houston, Texas, showcased some interesting figures in a report that was released prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year.

“Campus safety is a top concern for many students and their families when deciding where to spend the next four years of their life,” the report said. “When pursuing higher education, one should be focused on their growth, learning and creating new experiences, rather than focusing on how to stay safe. Of course you should always be aware of your surroundings, but it should not have to be the priority of your time during college.”

In the study, data from both public and private four-year colleges and universities with 30,000-plus students across the United States was used to determine which colleges are the “most dangerous.” The study used the most recent available data, up to the year 2022, as reported in the Clery Act 2023 reports. (The Clery Act is a consumer protection law signed in 1990, created to provide transparency of campus crime statistics and safety policies in place. All colleges and universities that participate in federal aid programs are required to disclose such data.)

Some key findings:

UC Berkeley is the most dangerous college campus.
UC Berkeley also has the most criminal offenses on campus.
University of Arizona is the university with the most hate crimes.
Texas A&M had the most Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) crimes on campus.
The states with the most dangerous schools overall are California, Texas, North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania.
Most crime that occurred on these campuses were criminal offenses, then VAWA, and then lastly hate crimes. The highest criminal offense that occurred was rape.
85 percent of the campuses reported no incidents of dangerous crime.

The top 10 most dangerous campuses: