It’s not uncommon to hear someone passionnante about a cause or goal say they would give their life for it. But for some people put their money where their mouth is by making their death a part of the plan. The following are ten examples of people who achieved their goals with their own demise.

SEE ALSO: 10 Horribly Unconventional Ways That People Have Died

10 Charles Vance Millar

A wise man once said that some men just want to watch the world burn. Charles Vance Millar may not have been a villain, but he was certainly a joker. The Canadian lawyer loved to play practical jokes, especially ones that played on the greed of his victims. Given how dedicated he was to his own amusement, it should come as no surprise that he would use his death to pull off a few last pranks.

Millar died of a stroke on October 31, 1926. During the reading of his will, a number of strange requests were made. For instance, he left a vacation home in Jamaica to three men who hated each other, and granting shares in a horse racing club to two anti horse racing advocates. But the most well known tenet of his will is undoubtedly the Great Stork Derby.

In his will, Millar stipulated that a portion of his estate would be given to whichever woman in Toronto had the most babies in the decade following his death. Ten years and a supreme court case later, four women were each awarded $110,000.^[1]

9 Codrus

Most examples of this particular phenomenon aren’t as amusing as the above example; but some are still pretty noble.

Codrus was the last King of Athens, ruling from 1089- 1068 BC. During the last year of his reign, the Dorians launched an invasion of the south of Greece. Before doing so they had consulted with the Oracle of Delphi, who prophesied that their campaign would succeed so long as no harm came to the king. At this point it’s important to remember that in those times, prophecy was taken very seriously.

Having learned of this prophecy and wishing to spare his citizens from a war, Codrus hatched a plan. Dressed as a peasant, he made his way to the Dorian camp and instigated a fight with a group of soldiers, during which the King was slain. Once they realized what had happened, the Dorians called off the invasion, fearing their prophesied defeat.

In light of his bravery, it was decided that there was no one worthy to succeed Codrus as King, and the monarchy was abolished.^[2]

8 Giles Corey

The Salem Witch Trials are remembered today as one of the greatest cases of mass hysteria in history, and with good reason. Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Nineteen of those accused were found guilty and executed, including one Giles Corey.

In March of 1692, Corey’s wife was arrested and accused of witchcraft. While he initially testified against his spouse, he later tried to recant his testimony. He was arrested in April of that year, at which point the authorities attempted to try him. Giles refused to plead, and under the law at the time, a person who did not plead could not be tried. In an attempt to get him to plead, the sheriff tortured Corey by pressing.

While some historians disagree, it is widely believed that Corey feared his property would be illegally seized if he pleaded. During the torture, he would only say, “More weight.” After several days of torture, Giles Corey finally died.

Though he had protected his estate, the Sheriff would later attempt to extort money from his surviving family.^[3]

7 R. Budd Dwyer

Sadly, it is not uncommon for individuals to choose death as a way to see their families financially taken care of.

Robert Budd Dwyer was the State Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1987. He was charged with accepting bribes in return for awarding a government contract to a California firm. In December of 1986, he was found guilty, and was scheduled to be sentenced in January the following year. Dwyer protested his innocence to his dying day, which would sadly come very soon.

On January 22, 1987, Dywer held a press conference; during which he professed his innocence one last time. Upon completing his statement, he pulled a revolver from a manila envelope, and proceeded to shoot himself in the head on live television.

Had Dwyer been sentenced before his suicide, state law would have prohibited the payout of his survivor benefits to his wife. Multiple sources close to Dwyer have gone on record as saying that the motivation for his suicide was to enusre his family would receive his full benefits.^[4]

6 Thomas G. Doty

Hopefully this article isn’t making its premise seem like something to be emulated. But just in case, the following two examples are presented as a reminder that this tactic is just as likely to fail as succeed.

Like Dwyer, Thomas Doty also desired to use his death to financially provide for his family. However, unlike Dwyer, he caused far more deaths than simply his own. On May 22, 1962, Doty boarded Continental Airlines Flight 11. The flight, originating from Chicago would never arrive at its Kansas City destination. During the flight, he went into the plane’s bathroom, and detonated six sticks of dynamite he had smuggled onboard. The resulting crash would kill all 45 souls aboard.

Prior to boarding the flight, Doty had purchased $300,000 in life insurance. However, when his death was ruled a suicide, the policies were voided, and his widow was only awarded a three dollar refund.^[5]

5 Charles Joeseph Gliniewicz

Charles Joeseph “Joe” Gliniewicz was a police lieutenant in Fox Lake, Illinois. On September 1, 2015, he radioed that he was pursuing three armed suspects. He would later be found dead, and a manhunt was launched to find the suspects.

It wasn’t long after his funeral that allegations surfaced that Gliniewicz’s death was a suicide. An investigation would reveal that he had been embezzling from a youth mentorship program for several years. Upon realizing that an upcoming audit would expose his him, he did the only sensible thing. He tried to have the person conducting the audit killed.

When that didn’t pan out, he orchestrated his elaborate suicide attempt in the hopes of covering up the crime.^[6]

4 Lasantha Wickrematunge

Being a journalist in Sri Lanka can be a dangerous profession, and no one knew this better than Lasantha Wickrematunge. He had faced threats and harassment practically from the beginning of his career. During one memorable incident, he and his wife were pulled from their car and beaten with clubs. Things got so bad that his wife took their three children to live in Australia for their own safety. Shortly before his death he stated, “When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”

On January 8, 2009, Wickrematunge was gunned down on his way to work. But he had anticipated his assassination, and had penned a final editorial to be published posthumously. In it, he accused the Government of using assassination as its “Primary Tool,” for controlling journalists.

Whether this will lead to any change in Sri Lanka remains to be seen. However, his death has prompted the international community to take a harder look at press freedom.^[7]

3 Dave Duerson

Dave Duerson had enjoyed a long football career dating back to his college years. In the course of his eleven seasons with the NFL, he played for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and Phoenix Cardinals. He had been selected for the Pro Bowl four consecutive times. But all this was not without cost; as by his families reckoning he suffered at least ten concussions throughout his career.

Duerson was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on February 17, 2011. In a note he requested that his brain be sent to the Boston University School of Medicine to be used in research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It was later stated by Dr. Ann Mckee that it was, “Indisputable,” that he had suffered from the disease.

Duerson’s death brought renewed public attention to the long term damage that football can have on its players.^[8]

2 Mishima Yukio

If there were two things Mishima Yukio was passionate about, they were writing, and hardcore nationalism. A misdiagnosis of tuberculosis that prevented him from serving during World War Two did nothing to stop his longing for Imperial Japan after the country’s defeat. He denounced Emperor Hirohito for renouncing his claim of divinity. In his eyes, this made the sacrifice of the millions of Japanese who died during the war meaningless. He founded the Tatenokai, or Shield Society; a private militia dedicated to restoring the power of the Emperor.

On November 25, 1970, Mishima and four other members of the Tatenokai seized an office at the Tokyo headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Japanese Self Defense Force. From a balcony, the author gave a ten minute speech during which he urged an assembly of soldiers to rise up in a coup. When his plea was met with mocking and derision, he retreated back into the office, and committed seppuku with the help of his followers.

It is widely believed that Mishima never expected his Coup to succeed, and that it was simply a pretext for his suicide. He had planned his death months in advance, and even arranged for money to be left for the legal defense of his followers.^[9]

1 Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had a long history or enmity leading up to their fateful duel. The federalist first came to dislike Burr when he defeated his father-in-law for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He would use his influence to thwart Burr’s political aspirations on several more occasions, further deepening the grudge between the two. The relationship would worsen until one day Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel.

The two combatants met on the morning of July 11, 1804. Hamilton shot first, but missed. Burr then took his shot, and hit his opponent, inflicting a fatal wound. It is speculated that Hamilton intentionally missed his shot with the hope of ruining Burr. If this was his aim, then he achieved it, as the duel effectively ended the man’s political career.^[10]

About The Author: Dan Cayce is a writer who occasionally has interesting thoughts. You can read some of them here @WriteAtRandom.

Despite what you’ve been told, not every job has to be boring, bland, and…office-y. There are so many jobs that hardly anyone knows about, even ones that are actually enjoyable! If you’ve been thinking about switching jobs, why not choose one that’s a little out there?

Here are ten jobs that you didn’t know you wanted.

Related: 10 Unexpectedly High-Paying Jobs

10 Becoming a Norland Nanny

I know what you’re thinking…nannying? Really?

Despite their comical first impression, these ladies are tougher than bodyguards when it comes to protecting their kids. Why? Well, they train relentlessly across a four-year period to become the best of the best at what they do; they’re amongst the most exclusive and highly trained nannies in the world, so highly skilled that they’ve even been hired by the British Royal Family.

Norland College has stated that their nannies are essentially “Mary Poppins mixed with a little James Bond.” While stereotypical homemaking skills like sewing and childcare are heavily instilled into the curriculum, there are some classes that may take you by surprise—high-speed drifting, for example. Not only are the ladies instructed on how to control a car as it drifts around a bend, but they’re also trained in other extreme practices, such as martial arts and self-defense. Due to the nature of working for wealthy employers, they’re expected to deal with potential threats, most notably attempts to kidnap the child.

A typical Norland education costs up to £14,990 ($20,150)annually, which is higher than the cost of studying at either Oxford or Cambridge University. The idea is once they graduate, they’ll work for high-profile employers and be able to command salaries of up to £126,000 ($170,000)! Norland College even goes a step further by offering 100% guaranteed employment opportunities. Seriously. The institution has its own in-house recruitment agency, The Norland Agency. While a guaranteed job after graduation seems almost impossible, the demand from families for qualified Norland graduates outstripped supply from day one and continues to do so today. Those must be some really good nannies…^[1]

9 The Ravenmaster

NASA scientists, world leaders, and billionaires alike all agree that the “Ravenmaster” is the coolest-sounding job title in the entire world. The job of a Ravenmaster is to take care of the Tower of London’s famous ravens; legend has it that the birds and the Tower are connected, and should all six ravens go missing, the Tower will crumble to dust while great harm installs itself within the kingdom. The current Ravenmaster is Chris Skaife (since 2011), who keeps a total of eight ravens at the Tower grounds “just in case” one goes missing.

The birds are incredibly well looked after, and they’re regularly supplied with special “enrichment” toys (aka cool bird stuff). The job was a relatively new invention, as only five other people had been appointed the title. It used to be the job of the Yeoman (more commonly known as the Beefeater) Quartermaster but became a separate position as of 1968.

To become a Ravenmaster, you must first become a Yeoman Warder. In order to qualify for that, though, you must be a military veteran with at least 22 years of service.^[2]

8 Golf Ball Diver

Imagine sitting on the bus with your diving suit on, snorkel in hand, telling the driver that you want to be dropped off at the local golf course. There goes the town lunatic, right? Wrong! There goes the town golf ball retriever.

These professional recyclers have a rather unique role when it comes to being environmentally friendly. They wade around in golf course ponds and water features to retrieve balls, which are then cleaned, repackaged, and resold. Since the average course has between four and twelve ponds, divers typically spend around 8–10 hours per day in the water!

The job is surprisingly dangerous, though; divers may face low visibility, sharp objects hidden underwater, and adversity from wildlife (that means alligators!). For safety reasons, divers will usually take shifts in pairs to minimize the risk of danger. In order to become a professional golf ball diver, you first need to be a certified, professional diver with training in both first aid and dive rescue. It’s also incredibly hard work; lugging around 30-kilogram (65-pound) sacks of used golf balls is highly taxing.^[3]

7 Car-Plate Blocker

Hiring someone to block your license (number) plate is a truly intuitive solution when breaking the law.

In Iran’s capital city of Tehran, vehicle congestion is at over six times the city’s capacity, meaning something had to be done to rectify the numbers. Luckily, Iranian officials conducted a plan to reduce the traffic nightmare: every other day, all the cars with license plates that ended in even numbers would be allowed to drive, and vice versa for the odd-numbered plates.

On paper, this sounds good, but in reality…Iranian drivers weren’t too thrilled. Drivers came up with the ingenious idea to outsmart the city’s traffic cameras: hire a pedestrian to run behind the car and block the plate from view! It may not be the most glamorous job out there, but it certainly would incite that I’m-breaking-the-law thrill that always livens up a boring week. Some number-plate blockers use motorbikes to closely follow a car driving at higher speeds, while in more traffic-stricken areas, pedestrians (or “human shields” as they’re known colloquially) are hired.^[4]

6 Professional Pusher

Japan has outdone itself with its solution to subway congestion—hiring people to forcefully shove other people into train cars! Given the fact that Tokyo Metro has a total of 6.84 million people using their transport services every day, it is actually very effective. The trains are regularly overloaded by a whopping 70%…so imagine how lucky you’d be to get a seat! Granted, this technique is not practiced on all Toyko’s subway lines—of which there are many in operation around the metropolitan area.

Within two weeks, someone can become a professional pusher. They wear sleek suits, fancy white gloves, and a hat so that passengers are very clear about who’s a pusher. Surprisingly, passengers hardly complain about being rammed into an overcrowded train carriage, so there is no need to worry about having someone yell at you. Because there is no required qualifications and the pay averages at $10 per hour, the main demographic for Pushers is students who’re working part-time.^[5]

5 Venetian Gondolier

Okay, how awesome does being a gondolier sound? In case you’re unfamiliar, Venetian gondoliers are people who navigate the canals of Venice by boat; it’s one of the most highly regarded and highly sought-after professions in Italy! Why is the demand to drive what is effectively a thin piece of wood so high? Well, gondoliers can command salaries of up to $150,000 each year!

It’s no easy accomplishment, though. Trainees must first find an experienced/established gondolier to be their mentor, then complete 400 hours of instruction, and THEN pass a rigorous examination. For over 900 years, Italian tradition has strongly favored men as captains. To this day, there’s only been one officially licensed “gondoliera”—her name is Giorgia Boscolo, and she passed the Gondolier examination in 2010. The training covers navigational skills, knowledge of other languages, and most importantly, knowledge of Venice’s culture and sights.^[6]

4 Ethical Hacker

Hollywood often portrays hackers as isolated, black-hoodied, dark-room-dwelling individuals, but in reality, they’re actually the complete opposite! Ethical hackers, often called “white-hats,” are people who assist companies by breaking into their software and databases. They do this to highlight vulnerabilities so that the company can fix them before malicious hackers, or “black-hats,” can’t exploit them.

Because networks are mostly designed to be tough to break into, ethical hackers provide ways to strengthen systems from the inside. Along with doing online penetration attempts, white-hat hackers must also consider physical hacking attempts. Sometimes companies are so large that infiltrating it could be as easy as printing off an ID badge.^[7]

Professional ethical hackers earn on average $102,000 in the U.S.

3 Hand Model

Imagine being able to point to the cover of Vogue and say: “Those are my hands.” Pretty cool, right?

That’s what life is like for some professional hand models. Established modeling agencies like Sandra Reynolds offers this unique job as a form of “parts modeling.” Professional portfolios are created specifically for hands, feet, legs, arms, even collarbones! Essentially, hand models act as another person’s hands…but professionally.

The typical daily routine of a hand model is no easy task…especially as hands need to be treated very well and stay moisturized. Elaborate measures need to be taken to ensure their hands are protected at all costs. This means maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding injuries, and never, ever washing the dishes without gloves. It seems a little extreme, but it’s important to remember that any scratch or blemish can result in a lost job.^[8]

Models are freelancers who are paid per job, but day rates are really unpredictable and can range from $150 to $1,500+.

2 Concert Promoter

Concert promoters get to independently produce live concerts! As a holder of this job title, you get to produce single shows, tours, festivals, and special events. Salaries average at around £31,600 ($42,500) yearly. The best thing about this job is that anyone can start at any time; most concert producers start out small with concerts or festivals in their local areas, then go on to find success with their own independent companies within the DIY music scene. Because experienced concert producers advocate that on-the-job training is best, getting any practical experience is really, really valuable.

Producers need to be resilient, patient, and all-around disciplined. While it’s definitely glamorous, it’s also a numbers game at heart, so success depends entirely on the promoter’s music and market savvy. Because promoters need to continuously be networking, it can become a pretty time-consuming job; expect constant business meetings during the week and a lineup of concerts on the weekend. Patience is another huge factor in this job… Promoters need to be content with starting small and working their way up to bigger artists and venues.^[9]

1 Mahout

The bond between a Mahout and their elephant is unbreakable; these skilled elephant riders are often paired with a single animal for life, meaning they’re as close to their elephants as they are to family members!

Though their past is controversial (mahouts traditionally lead elephants into war), their role has recently been defined by conservation. Professional mahouts are repurposing their skills to become habitat keepers and forest protectors. Ecotourism has become their new focus; it’s a model that prioritizes the welfare of the domesticated animals, as well as protecting wild species.

Alternative (and definitely more colorful!) roles of the mahout include decorating their elephants for special cultural events…the Elephant Festival, for example. For this festival, elephants are nicely groomed and clothed with colorful rugs, huge elephant jewelry, and anklets decked with bells. Their tusks also get jeweled up with gold and silver bracelets and rings—it’s customary for mahouts to match their elephant in fancy dress.^[10]

Unfortunately, the salary is pretty…non-existent. It’s definitely only a job for those who really bond with elephants and are willing to take care of them.

Playing an iconic character can make an actor’s career. But our beloved stars may not always want to play a character for too long, as much as fans may wish for the opposite. In fact, a number of performers have asked writers to kill off their characters for various reasons. And here are ten of them.

Related: Top 10 TV Shows Cancelled Too Soon

10 Isaac Hayes (Chef)—South Park

If there’s one thing South Park is known for, it’s its mockery of everything. An equal opportunity offender if there ever was one.

Soul singer Isaac Hayes voiced Jerome McElroy, referred to simply as “Chef,” in the animated comedy. For nine years, Hayes went along with South Park as the screenwriters mocked anyone and everyone. Liberals, conservatives, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Mormons… you name it. But he called it quits when South Park crossed a line… and made fun of Scientology.

“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. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices,” Hayes, a Scientologist himself, said in a 2006 statement.

His character, Chef, met a gruesome death on screen in the season 10 premiere that subtly mocked his beliefs.^[1]

9 Tom Payne (Jesus)—The Walking Dead

Set in a world riven by anarchy, AMC’s The Walking Dead has one of the highest death counts on television. Its “No one is safe” philosophy leads to characters dying all the time, usually by violent means. While plot requirements kill many of the characters, some actors ask for it, the most notable being Jeffrey DeMunn and Tom Payne.

DeMunn quit and asked for the death of his character Dale Horvath in the second season after The Walking Dead fired his friend and producer Frank Darabont.

Tom Payne’s Paul “Jesus” Rovia was killed off in the middle of season nine. This was because Tom Payne, feeling that too many leading characters were alive, volunteered him for death in a bid to return the show to its “anyone can die” roots.^[2]

8 McLean Stevenson (Lt. Col. Blake)—M*A*S*H

One of M*A*S*H’s most beloved characters was Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson. Blake died in a plane crash at the end of season three, a tragic loss mourned by many fans.

The death was caused by McLean Stevenson. Tired of playing second fiddle to Alan Alda’s Hawkeye, Stevenson wanted to leave for greener pastures. He wanted to be on a set where he was the leading man instead of a mere supporting actor. The writers indulged him and killed off Lt. Col. Blake.

Stevenson went on to star as the leading man in a couple of failed sitcoms. Unfortunately, he never found the success he sought.

Summing up his biggest mistake, Stevenson admitted, “The mistake was that I thought everybody in America loved McLean Stevenson. That was not the case. Everybody loved Henry Blake.”^[3]

7 Jessalyn Gilsig (Siggy)—Vikings

As the wife of Jarl Haraldson, Siggy was the most powerful woman in Kattegat. However, she loses that status when her husband is killed in a duel by the upstart Ragnar Lothbrok, who takes his place.

Hers is a riveting tale of a woman brought low by circumstances beyond her control and trying to claw her way back to the top. Siggy went from Ragnar’s mistress to his servant yet took all the challenges life heaped upon her with quiet and admirable grace.

It would have been gratifying to see Siggy rise again, and many fans who had hated the character at the beginning of the series started actively rooting for her. But that never came to be, as Siggy drowned while saving Ragnar’s children who had fallen into a frozen lake.

It looked like a cruel decision by the showrunners until the real reason came to light. The Canadian actress playing Siggy, Jessalyn Gilsig, found it challenging to live in Ireland for long periods. Her family in Canada needed her, but the filming schedule stood in the way. So she had Siggy written off the show.^[4]

6 Raymond Cruz (Tuco Salamanca)—Breaking Bad

Raymond Cruz portrayed the deranged and unstable drug dealer Tuco Salamanca in Breaking Bad.

While Tuco was being set up to be the big bad of season two, he died rather early in the season. That’s because Raymond Cruz hated the character. Iconic as his portrayal was, Cruz found Tuco Salamanca difficult to play. Convincingly Pulling off the performance drained the actor, a feat he felt he couldn’t keep up for a whole season.

As he said in an interview, “I asked them to kill me. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to coming back and doing the part. It’s really difficult to pull off. They were like, ‘We want you to come back and do eight more episodes.’ And I said, ‘No. I’ll do one more, and that’s it. You guys have to kill me.’ They’re like, ‘We never heard of an actor that wanted to die.’ And I’m like, ‘You don’t understand. This part’s really hard.’”^[5]

5 Josh Charles (Will Gardner)—The Good Wife

Fans of The Good Wife spent five seasons rooting for Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) and Will Gardner (by Josh Charles), only for Gardner to be shot dead in a courtroom by a client in the finale of season five.

However, this wasn’t due to the screenwriters pulling a George R.R. Martin. The Good Wife focused on Alicia Florrick and her relationships rather than an ensemble cast, and few characters were ever in danger of being killed off. Will Gardner’s exit was entirely due to Josh Charles deciding against renewing his contract.

Charles only had year-long contracts with the CBS production, which he kept re-upping. Finally, after four renewals, he decided he had had enough and wanted to try something else. His co-star Julianna Margulies tried dissuading him… to no avail.

“I called Josh, and I gave him terrible Jew guilt. I knew he was about to get married. I’m good friends with his wife, and they’re dear friends of ours. I said, ‘Josh, how about this: 15. Think about it. Wait. Think about it. Money in the bank for 15 episodes. Do you know how expensive it is to have a baby in New York City?’ I went right to the kid thing, and it was disgusting, honestly,” Margulies said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.^[6]

4 Kal Penn (Dr. Lawrence Kutner)—House, MD

Dr. Lawrence Kutner had a memorable two-season run on House, M.D. as one of the members of the diagnostic team assisting the eccentric but brilliant Dr. Gregory House.

Dr. Kutner tragically committed suicide in the fifth season. Dr. House insisted that Kutner’s suicide made no sense given the circumstances and that his brilliant subordinate had been murdered. Kutner had never displayed any suicidal tendencies or mental health problems. Everything had been going well for him when he shot himself in the head. But the death was ruled a suicide despite House’s misgivings because the gun belonged to Kutner and had his fingerprints on it. No one found any evidence of foul play.

As always, House was right. Somewhat. Kutner’s suicide had been sudden and unexpected, but it wasn’t due to some in-world bad guy. The actor playing Kutner, Kal Penn, had asked for the death of his character following his landing of a role on Barrack Obama’s staff at the White House in 2009. To ease Kal Penn’s transition from House, M.D. to the White House, Kutner had to die.^[7]

3 Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley)—Downton Abbey

With over 120 million viewers around the world, Downton Abbey is considered one of the most popular series in British television history. Its appeal to viewers has one wondering why anyone would want to leave such a popular show. But wary of being typecast, Dan Stevens asked for Matthew Crawley to be killed off in Downton Abbey. This was heartbreaking for fans of the period drama who had fallen in love with the character.

His stint on the period drama came to a teary end when Matthew Crawley perished in a car crash in the finale of the third season. Fans everywhere were distraught, but Stevens had had enough of playing Matthew Crawley. He wanted to pursue other projects.^[8]

2 John Francis Daley (Dr. Lance Sweets)—Bones

During his six seasons on Bones, Dr. Sweets became a fan favorite and a consistent source of comedic relief. Brought onto the show to counsel both Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), he eventually squashed their initial about his ability to help. So his unexpected death in Season 10 was a surprise. However, it wasn’t a result of story concerns but rather due to the actor, John Francis Daley.

Daley wanted to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. He had received an offer to direct National Lampoon’s Vacation and decided that the death of his character would make for a fitting exit. The showrunners obliged him, and Dr. Sweets bit the dust.^[1]

1 Chyler Leigh (Lexie Grey)—Grey’s Anatomy

Chyler Leigh was better known as Dr. Alexandra “Lexie” Grey, the half-sister of Meredith Grey, the titular heroine of Grey’s Anatomy.

Lexie Grey took a job at the Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, the fictional hospital where Grey’s Anatomy is set, after learning from her father that she had an older half-sister she had never known about.

Meredith’s lack of eagerness dampened Lexie’s hopes of bonding with her sister. But her elder sister eventually warmed up to her, and the two started getting along.

After five years in the medical drama, Lexie Grey died in a plane crash alongside her on-and-off-again love interest, Mark Sloan. The two lovebirds, unable to stay together for any extended period of time in life are reunited for eternity in death. The Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital was renamed the Sloan Grey Memorial Hospital in their honor.

Leigh asked for her character to be written off so she could spend more time with her family.^[10]