Scott Wilson, an actor best known to contemporary audiences for playing Hershel on the earlier seasons of AMC’s The Walking Dead, has passed away at the age of 76. The actor’s representative confirmed the news to TMZ today, noting that Wilson passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles following complications due to leukemia.
The Walking Dead is no stranger to unexpected deaths, but deviations from the comic often raise questions. To wit, a fan-favorite star now confirms his surprisingly early exit was a specific request to showrunners, given behind-the-scenes turmoil.
The Walking Dead made waves with a significant change to the source material in recent weeks, and fallout continues to rain. Series lead Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the latest to admit he’s “disappointed” with how AMC handled a major character exit, citing it as a reason he joined the series in the first place.
Carl (Chandler Riggs) may have met his demise on 'The Walking Dead,' but not before Rick (Andrew Lincoln) said one final, musical goodbye in the spirit of Camila Cabello.
The Walking Dead has tried and failed to get one over on fans before, but might be close to its biggest trick yet. According to creator Robert Kirkman, the show’s imminent and most shocking demise might not be so fatal after all. Slim hope, but we’ll take it.