10 TV Shows That Killed Off Unhappy Actors

Isaac Hayes' departure from South Park has gone down in television legend and has been referenced in everything from other TV shows and music. It's a bizarre tale and Chef's death remains one of the cartoon's most polarising and graphic moments.

Isaac Hayes played Chef, who for years had been the most level-headed adults in town and a sympathiser with the kids and their antics. Stan, Kyle, Eric and Kenny often trusted him and came to him with advice, which doesn't always work in his favour. He's responsible for some of the show's funniest moments, including his conversation with Stan about God and the time he converted to Islam.

All of this and more is possible because of Isaac Hayes, whose deep voice made Chef appear wise and trusting, and helped make some of his more outrageous statements even funnier because of their almost innocent-sounding delivery. Hayes was a staple of the show, but after South Park mocked Scientology - to which Hayes belonged - in the Season Nine episode "Trapped in the Closet", he felt betrayed by the show and wanted it taken off the air. But it wasn't.

A couple weeks after the episode aired, Hayes quit and Chef was killed brutally in Season Ten's "The Return of Chef", where he is devoured by a mountain lion and a grizzly bear. It's a shocking and violent end to the beloved character, but remained in-keeping with the tone of the show.

Still, Chef is sorely missed even today, as the epic show continues to air. Isaac Hayes passed away two years later, in 2008, making Chef's end ever-more heart-breaking.