11 TV Characters Punished By Death For Their Actor’s Behaviour

7. Chef - South Park

South Park Chef
Comedy Central

Chef, the soulful cafeteria worker who gives (often inappropriate) advice to the kids of South Park, was one of the show's biggest and most popular characters outside of the core foursome.

He was a mainstay on the show during its first nine seasons, voiced all the while by singer Isaac Hayes. His time on the show coincided with it skewering just about every aspect of society, politics, and religion, drawing a lot of controversy in the process, but it was an episode taking aim at Scientology that led to Hayes' departure. After the episode Trapped in the Closest, he issued a statement saying: "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins."

The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, weren't too happy with this - especially as he hadn't complained any time before - and Hayes was released from his contract as requested. His character, however, made one appearance in Season 10, where he is turned into a paedophile, and then killed when a bridge he's crossing is struck by lightning, causing him to fall to his death before having his corpse mutilated and defecated on by animals.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.