“There was no blood!”
Before I get to my top 10, I have to give an honourable mention to one particular death.
In 2014, Mark Brennan proposed to Kate Ramsay. Moments later, she was shot dead!
This whole storyline brought so much drama, but for whatever reason, Kate died… with no blood being spilt!
It was such a silly detail to miss, and it sparked some entertaining and annoying discussions in the fandom.
10. Hendrix Greyson (2022)
After a fire at Erinsborough High, Hendrix was left with coughing fits. He was later diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and required a lung transplant.
Not long after his marriage to Mackenzie, Hendrix had the operation. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned, and he only had a few hours to live.
9. Julie Martin (1994)
Julie’s death should have been different, but it was rewritten due to concerns about the topic and when the show aired.
The original plan was for Julie to take her own life, but it was felt that this wouldn’t be suitable for the pre-watershed time slot. Instead, the storyline hinted at her intent, but it was ultimately rewritten as an accident.
8. Daphne Clarke (1988)
While there had been deaths on Neighbours before this one, this one hit the hardest. Perhaps because it was the first death when the show started to gain momentum.
Initially, Daphne was written to leave the show to care for her ill father, which was poorly received by the audience…and Elaine Smith who played the character.
Later, Daphne was put into a coma after a serious car crash. Elaine Smith returned to film the death scene.
7. Todd Landers (1992)
Todd’s girlfriend, Phoebe, was about to have an abortion. He went to stop her, and in the process, was struck by a van. By the way, this seems to happen a lot in Erinsborough.
After an operation to save him, everything appeared to be fine, and he and Phoebe were planning their future, until he suddenly died.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6witlf?start=1200
(The accident happens at the beginning of the episode with the final scenes around the 19:30 mark)
6. David Tanaka (2024)
It was common knowledge that Takaya Honda, who played David, wanted to leave the show but decided to stay for the Faux Finale.
When the show returned, so did David. However, he wasn’t around for long. To protect his twin brother from Eden, who was about to hit him with a rock, David tackled him, and they both fell off a cliff.
Both were seriously injured, and David told his brother and Aaron to help Eden first. They begrudgingly did. When they returned, David was dead.
Cue the harrowing scenes of them carrying David’s body through the forest back to the accommodation.
5. Josh Willis (2016)
Josh’s death was part of the Hotel Explosion episodes. Not only was it an hour-long special, but there was also a late-night version.
One of the major differences I remember is that in the later version, we got to see a rod sticking out of Josh’s stomach, which was edited out for the earlier time slot.
Josh was trapped with his frenemy, Daniel. Knowing the chances of survival were minimal, he told them to save Daniel, knowing he would die.
Cue the scenes where the family come to say their goodbyes.
4. Helen Daniels (1997)
I don’t know what it was specifically, but Helen was my favourite character back in the day.
Anne Haddy, who played Helen, had several health problems and decided to retire from acting. This led to Helen peacefully dying in her sleep, surrounded by her family.
It was such a touching episode.
When the episode aired in the UK, Anne Haddy passed away.
3. Kerry Mangel (1990)
Kerry’s death is etched in my memory because of how horrific it was.
While protesting at a duck hunt, a pregnant Kerry was shot and killed.
While we didn’t explicitly see the shooting, the scene where Joe (played by Mark Little) ran to Kerry’s lifeless body was so raw and full of emotion.
2. Madge Bishop (2001)
Madge is one of the show’s iconic matriarchal characters. Losing her felt like losing part of the family, as she had always been there in a way.
After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and contracting septicaemia, we had the emotional scenes where everyone came to say their goodbyes.
Madge died in Harold’s arms.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7d1pg9?start=1185
(The final scenes are around the 19 min mark)
1. Sonya Rebecchi (2019)
When the fandom found out that Eve Morey, who played Sonya, was leaving Neighbours, they were upset. When they found out it wasn’t her decision, there was an uproar.
However, Neighbours producers promised that Sonya’s exit would be one to remember… and it was.
After being diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer, the chances of survival were slim.
The two-hander episode of Toadie and Sonya was beautifully written and shot. The final scene, with Sonya dying in Toadie’s arms, had everyone crying.