Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ranking Every Major Death Worst To Best

"Mom? Mom? Mommy?"

With the death of Joyce Summers came the show's greatest episode, Season Five's The Body. What makes Joyce's death such an emotional, hard-hitting reveal is the fact that it had nothing to do with the supernatural. Suffering a brain aneurysm, she is found dead on the couch by Buffy, who tries desperately to bring her back to life and deal with the shock.

The entire episode surrounding her sudden death is focused on the pain and grief it causes Buffy, Dawn and the rest of the gang, and still stands as the show's most heartbreaking moment simply because it was so different to the other deaths so often seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Joyce was strong, loyal and had been through the wringer since finding out about Buffy's role as the Slayer, and really it was a shame fans had to say goodbye to the show's brightest light in such cruel but very real fashion.