11 TV Characters Killed Off Far Too Soon

Sons of Anarchy has never been one to shy away from killing off major characters. This is a show in which nearly everyone is dead and gone by the final episode, including the series' protagonist. And though fans were forced to watch the deaths of Half-Sack, Juice, Gemma, Wayne, Bobby and oh-so-many more, it is Opie's death which still remains the show's most gutting and tear-inducing.

A main player since Season One, Harry "Opie" Winston was Jax Teller's best friend and moral compass throughout his tenure on the show. On top of being a big guy with a big heart, he also has one of the show's most tragic and devastating arcs, wherein he loses his wife and his father to the very men he remains staunchly loyal to.

By Season Five, Opie is in jail alongside Jax, Tig and Chibs, and sacrifices himself to a rival gang in the prison, who want retaliation for a death of one of their own. Though he puts up a good fight, Opie is doomed as soon as he gives himself up, and watching the others react to their friend's brutal death is one of the show's most emotional moments.

The death is well shot and acted, but seems as though creator Kurt Sutter just wanted to be cruel for the sake of being cruel. Opie had been through so much, it would have been nice to see him build from the many trials he faced and see the show's end.