20 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths EVER

Unlike Buffy the Vampire Slayer, moody supernatural spinoff Angel often treated death with much more finality; there were never as many resurrections or do-overs, and the fatalities we saw carried great weight because of this. 

Over the course of the show, many characters met terrible demises - including fan favourites Cordelia, Wesley, Doyle, Darla and more - but none ever hit audiences more than the death of Winifred "Fred" Burkle, introduced in season two as a rare beacon of light in Angel's increasingly dark life.

After taking over the offices of law firm Wolfram & Hart in the final season, Fred and Wesley fall in love, but before they can truly be together she's infected with the essence of an ancient god, Illyria, who destroys Fred's soul and takes over her body. 

Throughout the episode, with her friends desperately searching for some way to save her, Fred spends her final moments slowly dying in Wesley's arms. And for any Buffyverse fan, the image of the two of them together is enough to bring a sea of tears.