10 Saddest Character Deaths In Movie History
9. Han Solo - Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
The death of Han Solo might be relatively fresh in the minds of those who witnessed it (which by all accounts is probably the entire population of the human race), but the character itself has been around more than long enough to have become one of the most loved in the history of cinema.
From roguish smuggler to General of the Rebel Alliance fleet, Han Solo journey through the original Star Wars trilogy made him an icon to countless fans as the epitome of cool (perhaps only Indiana Jones comes close from that era, which says a lot about Harrison Ford's cool credentials). Back in 1977 millions of kids wanted to be Han Solo, and decades on little has changed.
It's no doubt for this reason why the decision was made to place his death centre stage in the final act, and it's hard to think of a more fitting and dramatic way for this to happen than by the hands of his own son, disillusioned by the path of the Jedi and drawn towards the dark side. Abrams couldn't have chosen a grander setting for this act of paternal betrayal, and after Han falls to his death Chewbacca's enraged howl spoke for us all.