The Yellowstone Franchise's 11 Saddest Deaths, Ranked

The Yellowstone franchise would be nothing without the devastating deaths that mark the Dutton family’s story with tragedy. Danger and destruction surround the Dutton family tree’s pursuit to maintain stewardship of the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, including many deaths the family must process. That said, while there are many devastating deaths within the Dutton family in Yellowstone, the fate of other characters can be just as sad.

Death plagues the characters in each of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone shows, especially the prequels, 1883 and 1923. The tragic fates that Sheridan sprinkles into his series have even led to some of Yellowstone’s most controversial moments, with its most dedicated fans not wanting to see their favorite characters depart the franchise, understandably. Still, death and the themes and emotions that come with it are the bedrock of the neo-Western saga, and Yellowstone’s stories wouldn’t be the same without their misfortunes.

11

Lee Dutton

Lee Dutton Dies In Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 1

Marking the first major character death in the Yellowstone franchise, Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) dies in the series premiere of Yellowstone. Lee dies when Monica’s (Kelsey Asbille) brother, Robert Long (Jeremiah Bitsui), shoots him in a confrontation between the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and the Broken Rock Tribe that kicks off the series’ events. Lee’s death marks a grave tragedy for John Dutton (Kevin Costner), and watching John grieve his son’s death makes the moment all the more impactful.

We don’t have much time to get to know Lee, but his death and funeral are significant. Moreover, Lee is positioned as a main character in Yellowstone series premiere, so watching him die was memorable, since the character’s death so early in the series was completely unexpected. Ultimately, Lee’s Yellowstone death isn’t higher on the list because he’s unfamiliar. Still, Lee’s passing kicked off the modern range war that would haunt the Dutton family through Yellowstone‘s five seasons.

10

Dirk Hurdstrom

Jimmy’s Grandfather Dies In Yellowstone Season 2, Episode 9

We didn’t know Dirk Hurdstrom (Stanley Peternel) well, but his grandson, Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White), is one of the most well-known Yellowstone Ranch hands. In Yellowstone season 2, Ray (Lane Garrison) and Blake (Ryan Dorsey), two meth dealers that Jimmy used to cook for, come after him for money. Jimmy’s former contacts threaten to come after his grandfather, Dirk, who vouches for his grandson in the premiere and gets him the job on the Dutton Ranch.

Despite Jimmy riding bulls at the rodeo to earn money, Dirk Hurdstrom experiences a genuinely heartbreaking death. Dirk is beaten by Ray and Blake, passing away from a ruptured blood vessel that causes a stroke. Jimmy is devastated by the loss, and it was awful to know an innocent, elderly man endured such a senseless beating. Ultimately, the Yellowstone Ranch cowboys get justice for Jimmy, murdering the men responsible for killing his last family member.

9

Colby Mayfield

Colby Mayfield Dies In Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 13

Colby Mayfield’s (Denim Richards) death in Yellowstone season 5 was truly unexpected. Afterward, we watch key characters mourn Colby’s passing, adding to the emotional weight of his unforeseen fate. Colby died when a rogue horse trampled him in the barn, so Carter (Finn Little) feels responsible for the event, since Colby entered the horse’s pen to save him. Therefore, Carter blames himself, prompting a memorable scene between him and Beth (Kelly Reilly).

Colby’s death is particularly hard on his sweetheart, Teeter (Jennifer Landon), who was out of the state tending cattle at the Four Sixes Ranch. When Teeter returns, there’s almost nothing left of his personal effects. However, Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) saves Colby’s cowboy hat for Teeter, giving her a token to remember their love. Teeter and Colby had just said “I love you,” enhancing the tragedy that they couldn’t start a life together after all the cowboys left the Dutton Ranch.

8

Pete Plenty Clouds

Teonna Rainwater’s Love Interest Dies In 1923 Season 2, Episode 5

Pete Plenty Clouds’ (Jeremy Guana) death was also a sad loss for the Yellowstone franchise. Teonna Rainwater’s (Aminah Nieves) love interest, Pete, died in a shootout with Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane), which was a massive cliffhanger at the end of 1923 season 2, episode 5. As Teonna’s father, Runs His Horse (Michael Spears), points out to her when they learn about Pete’s death, Plenty Clouds gave his life for Teonna’s freedom, emboldening her claim that it cost her everything.

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Pete was one of the many innocent Native Americans Marshal Kent killed in his pursuit of Teonna Rainwater. Kent didn’t know that Pete was with Teonna’s group, which is why Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) turned on him, killing Kent for murdering many innocent boys and men. Still, Renaud’s retaliation didn’t make Pete’s death any less difficult, and the cliffhanger where his life hung in the balance was a truly tense Yellowstone moment, adding to 1923 season 2, episode 6’s bloodbath.

7

Alexandra Dutton

Spencer Dutton’s Wife Dies In 1923 Season 2’s Finale

Perhaps the most heartbreaking death in 1923 is Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer), Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar) wife. Alex Dutton dies of complications from hypothermia in 1923 season 2’s finale, and her death was a genuinely devastating affair. Alex died in the hospital in Bozeman, opting to deliver her baby, John, instead of having a life-saving procedure to amputate both her legs and one of her arms.

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Alexandra’s death is one of the Yellowstone franchise’s most tragic because horrible things happened to Alex Dutton in 1923. By the end of the second season, Alex Dutton was due for some happy developments, and that’s what many fans were expecting after the countless tragedies she faced in her journey. Sadly, her happy ending with Spencer was cut short, and the fact that Alex didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of her struggle was particularly heartbreaking.

6

Issaxche Rainwater

Marshal Kent Kills Teonna’s Grandmother In 1923 Season 1, Episode 6

Teonna’s grandmother experiences one of the saddest Yellowstone deaths in 1923 season 1, episode 6. Marshal Kent kills Issaxche Rainwater when he comes to her house looking for Teonna, accusing the grandmother of potentially harboring Teonna as a fugitive. Not understanding Kent’s intentions at her home, Issaxche hits the marshal’s arm. When he pushes her back, Issaxche hits her head on the cookstove and dies instantly.

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While Issaxche’s death seemed like an accident, it established Marshal Kent’s ruthlessness as he showed little remorse. The lawman leaves Issaxche on the floor of her home, showing no respect for her life. The silver lining is that Runs His Horse, Issaxche’s son, discovers her body and gives her a proper ceremony. Still, Issaxche’s death is an outrage, establishing a pattern for Marshal Kent of senselessly killing Indigenous people, prompted by his prejudice against them.

5

Baapuxti

Father Renaud Kills Teonna’s Cousin In 1923 Season 1, Episode 5

It was also devastating to watch Teonna lose her cousin. In 1923 season 1, episode 5, Father Renaud kills Baapuxti (Leenah Robinson) after Teonna Rainwater flees the U.S. School for Native Americans, murdering Sisters Mary (Jennifer Ehle) and Alice (Kerry O’Malley) and causing quite the uproar at the institution. While Teonna makes her escape, the priest homes in on Teonna’s cousin, who cries softly as Renaud scans the remaining schoolgirls for their involvement.

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Despite Baapuxti eventually telling Renaud that Teonna said she was going home, the priest doesn’t believe the cousin and begins beating her. When she reaches a breaking point, Baapuxti threatens Father Renaud in Crow, her Native language, enraging the priest so much that Renaud pushes Baapuxti backwards in her chair and stomps on her face to kill her. Renaud buries Teonna’s cousin in the school’s graveyard, reflective of sites at authentic assimilation schools throughout the United States, making it a genuinely sad death within the story and beyond it.

4

Shea Brennan

Wagon Train Leader Shea Brennan Dies In 1883’s Finale

Shae Brennan (Sam Elliott) dies in 1883‘s series finale. The Yellowstone prequel follows the earliest-known members of the Dutton family tree. Shea is the leader of James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton’s (Faith Hill) wagon train, leading a northwest journey along the Oregon Trail from Texas. Despite his many treks along the trail, Shea’s 1883 expedition was his last, since the veteran lost his wife and daughter to smallpox shortly before departing.

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After losing everyone who loved him, Shea Brennan shoots himself on the Oregon coast as he stares out across the ocean, which was his wife’s dream. While it was a brief affair, Shea Brennan’s death is one of the saddest, enhanced by a moment between Shea and Elsa Dutton (Isabel May). In Sam Elliott’s best Yellowstone scene, Shea tells Elsa that when a loved one dies, you have a piece of their soul, and they can see the world through your eyes. Shea, therefore, ends his life after showing his wife the ocean.

3

Ennis

Ennis Dies In 1883 Episode 5

Another tear-jerker of death in 1883 is Elsa Dutton’s love interest, Ennis (Eric Nelsen), a cattle handler who rides with her family for part of their Oregon Trail journey. When he joins the wagon train with Wade (James Landry Hébert), Ennis and Elsa fall in love, exchanging flirtations as Elsa hits her stride working as a cowgirl. Despite deciding to spend their life together after being intimate, Ennis and Elsa Dutton’s romance is tragically cut short when bandits come after the wagon train’s herd.

When bandits target the group, Ennis attacks the thieves with the rest of the cowboys. While James, Shae, and the others successfully fend off their assailants, one takes a shot at Ennis, fatally wounding him. Ultimately, Ennis dies of his gunshot wound, losing consciousness as James watches. Elsa’s sadness for Ennis is palpable when watching the couple’s love story end, with the audience feeling her grief second-hand. Ennis was a kind person who would have made a great partner for Elsa, so their ill-fate was devastating all around.

2

John Dutton III

Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character Died In Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2’s Premiere

One of the most significant deaths in the Yellowstone franchise, and certainly one of the saddest, is John Dutton’s death in Yellowstone season 5, part 2’s premiere. The gravity of John’s death greatly influenced Yellowstone’s future, and its gruesome nature made John’s death one of the saddest to witness, with a team of trained operatives attacking the governor of Montana in his sleep. John’s death prompted the events of Yellowstone season 5, part 2, leading to the end of the original series.

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Outside Taylor Sheridan’s story, John Dutton’s death was sad because Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit prompted it, which worsened the death for the majority of Yellowstone fans. While Yellowstone season 5, part 2, got many things right in its execution, many felt Costner should have been included in the final season to give John a better sendoff. John’s death is commemorated with a beautiful funeral in Yellowstone season 5’s finale, and the ceremony is a truly somber occasion, especially for Beth, who can barely stand to witness it.

1

Elsa Dutton

John Dutton’s Ancestor Dies In 1883’s Finale

Elsa Dutton’s death is doubtlessly the saddest in the Yellowstone franchise. Elsa dies in 1883’s finale, anchoring the entire Yellowstone story. After Elsa is shot with an infected arrow by a Lakota warrior, she succumbs to infection, and her father, James (Tim Graw), vows to settle where he lays his daughter to rest. After encountering a kind soul, a Crow elder named Spotted Eagle (Graham Greene), James and Elsa ride to Paradise Valley in Montana, beginning the Dutton family’s Montana legacy.

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Elsa’s death in 1883 catalyzed the entire Dutton saga, with the family maintaining stewardship of the land she died on for generations. Elsa’s death is remembered with the bright-eyed dreamer dying in her father’s arms as they discuss their first memories. Isabel May asked Tim McGraw about his daughters before filming the scene, evoking genuine emotion from the pair that is authentic and perceptible (via Taste of Country). Moreover, Elsa’s Yellowstone death was earned, with May’s character enduring a fantastic journey that justified her early passing.

Source: Taste of Country

Yellowstone

7/10

Release Date

2018 – 2024-00-00

Showrunner

Taylor Sheridan