Rick Grimes used to be just a small-town sheriff’s deputy, a man who lived by rules and the simple certainty that tomorrow would look a lot like today. Then he woke up from that coma, and everything he knew was gone. His town, his life, and the world he thought he understood all vanished, replaced by a merciless landscape where the dead walked, the living were dangerous, and survival demanded sacrifices no one could have prepared him for.
From that moment on, Rick’s journey became a relentless test of endurance, morality, and humanity. Every decision, every step forward, carried the weight of life and death. Not just his own, but the lives of those he swore to protect. Unfortunately, Rick could not shield everyone, no matter how fiercely he tried. Every loss he endured tore at him, reshaping the man he once was and forcing him to confront the darkest truths of the world and of himself.
In this article, we're looking back at five of the most heartbreaking deaths that forever altered Rick and shaped the course of his journey in The Walking Dead.
Shane Walsh
- When does Shane die in The Walking Dead? - Season 2, episode 12
Rick's devastation over Shane's death was not just about losing a friend. It was about losing a piece of the world he once understood, and facing the crushing reality of what survival demanded in a world without rules. Shane had been Rick’s best friend, his brother-in-arms, and the man he trusted implicitly before the world went to hell. Losing Shane was the first time Rick truly realized that survival meant making impossible decisions, even against those he loved.
Sadly, Rick had to make the tough decision of fatally stabbing Shane in the chest during a heated confrontation. After reanimating into a walker, Carl then shot Shane in the head.
Lori Grimes
- When does Lori die in The Walking Dead? - Season 3, episode 4
The death of Lori was gut-wrenching on every level for Rick. Lori represented Rick’s past, his family, and hope for the future. Her death not only devastated him emotionally but also shattered the stability he relied on to lead the group, forcing him into a spiral of grief, anger, and near-obsessive determination to protect his remaining family.
Losing her during childbirth was not only traumatic in the literal sense, but it also tore apart the very foundation of Rick’s world. In that moment, Rick was forced to confront the horrifying reality that no matter how hard he fought, the apocalypse could still take the people he loved most in the most intimate, unavoidable ways.
Glenn Rhee
- When does Glenn die in The Walking Dead? - Season 7, episode 1
Glenn’s death hit Rick like a gut punch. He had always seen Glenn as a younger brother. Someone who was loyal, fearless, and full of heart, and losing him so violently tore through everything Rick believed he could protect. Glenn’s murder pushed Rick to grapple with the fine line between revenge and leadership. It's what ultimately put him on a path of vengeance, fueling a burning rage that drove him to hunt down those responsible.
Glenn met his unfortunate demise in the season 7 premiere when Negan brutally killed him with his baseball bat, Lucille, in front of Rick and the rest of the group.
Carl Grimes
- When does Carl die in The Walking Dead? - Season 8, episode 9
Not only did Rick lose his wife, but he also lost his son. Carl had been the light in Rick’s darkest moments, the living reminder of why he fought so desperately to survive, and the hope that the world could still hold something worth protecting. Losing him in such a final, irreversible way left Rick hollow, shattered, and consumed by grief. But on the flip side, it also ignited a renewed sense of purpose within him. Now he was determined to honor Carl’s vision for a better, more humane world.
While trying to bring a stranger back to Alexandria, Carl ends up getting bitten by a walker. He then spends his last moments cherishing time with his loved ones before taking his own life with a gunshot to the head.
Hershel Greene
- When does Hershel die in The Walking Dead? - Season 4, episode 8
Hershel’s death was devastating because he had been a moral compass and father figure to Rick. He often guided Rick in making difficult decisions, reminding him of the importance of compassion, humanity, and doing what’s right even when the world seemed brutal and lawless. Losing Hershel meant Rick lost one of his strongest sources of ethical guidance.
Hershel met his end at the hands of The Governor during the attack on the prison. In the midst of the assault, The Governor brutally killed Hershel by decapitation right before Rick and the rest of the group. Michonne would later find his reanimated head and stab it with her sword to put him out of his misery.
The Walking Dead is available to watch on Netflix.