Modern Family: The Saddest Character Deaths, Ranked

There have been plenty of ups and downs throughout 11 seasons of Modern Family. Viewers have seen the Dunphy, Delgado-Pritchett, and Tucker-Pritchett children grow up and create lives of their own outside of their family’s households. And the parents have all found new ventures for the next chapter in their lives. But as is the case for every lifetime, there have been a few deaths over the years that tugged on fans’ heartstrings.

From pets to parents to friends, Modern Family knows how to get viewers reaching for the Kleenex whenever these three families lost someone.

7 Shell Turtlestein

Among the three families, there have only been a handful of pets sprinkled in over the years. Stella Pritchett is the most famed and beloved pet on Modern Family but fans can’t forget about Larry (Cam and Mitch’s cat), Scout (Frank’s dog), and Shell Turtlestein (Manny’s turtle).

In the episode “Truth Be Told,” Jay hangs an inspirational poster in Manny’s room after he had a hard day at school. While hanging the picture, it fell into Manny’s turtle’s cage and killed him. Jay didn’t have the guts to tell Manny he killed Shell, so he made up a story about a ravenous raccoon. Manny wrote a very touching goodbye letter for Shell. It was so upsetting that Jay came clean to Manny by the end of the night.

6 Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli

Cam may have grown up on a farm but he also has a passion for theatrics. He created his Fizbo character in clown college and loves to show him off from time to time. Sadly, in “Send Out The Clowns,” Cam dressed as Fizbo for a sad occasion: the funeral of his friend and mentor, Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli.

Cam said that Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli was voted the #2 professor under Piemaster General. To celebrate Al Uzielli’s life, Fizbo and the other clowns lowered his casket into the grave and did a touching clown tribute. After his death, Cam felt inspired to teach Lily his clown ways (much to her chagrin).

5 Grams

In the episode “ClosetCon ’13,” Mitch, Cam, and Lily were spending the summer with Cam’s family in Missouri. Cam and Lily were loving the farm life but Mitch judged every second of it.

Cam’s grandmother (aka Grams) showed up unexpectedly and met Mitch and Lily for the first time. She didn’t understand or like Cam and Mitch’s relationship and hated Mitchell. Grams didn’t make more appearances until her untimely death, which Mitch was later blamed for. Cameron was upset, of course, but was more sad for his mother.

4 Walt Kleezak

Walt Kleezak was introduced in the second season as the Dunphy’s elderly and sick neighbor. They alluded to him being mean and distant, so they always stayed away from him. But after the Dunphys lost their baseball in his yard, Luke went over to retrieve it and formed a kinship with Walt. Claire and Phil are wary of this new friendship but trust Luke.

Due to Walt’s oxygen tank, it was obvious he had some serious health problems. And in “The Last Walt,” the Dunphys found out Walt had a heart attack and died. Claire and Phil tried to prep Luke for this first major death in his life but he didn’t seem to bothered by it. He just wanted Walt’s TV…

3 DeDe Pritchett

DeDe Pritchett was Jay’s first wife and the mother of Claire and Mitchell. DeDe wasn’t the most hands-on mother and left the family after their divorce. She was much closer to Mitchell, as she and Claire frequently butted heads, especially when it came to lifestyle choices. And while fans didn’t see DeDe all that much, she made hilarious appearances over the years, often causing drama.

Shockingly, in the episode “Good Grief,” while everyone is preparing for Halloween, the family is stunned when they find out DeDe died. She passed away peacefully in her sleep after suffering from a heart issue. The entire episode revolved around DeDe’s legacy and reminiscing on old times.

2 Grace Dunphy

Grace Dunphy was Phil’s loving mom. Unlike his father Frank, fans never saw Grace but they heard of her from all the stories Phil shared. In the episode “Goodnight Gracie,” the Dunphy’s are grief-stricken when Grace passed away. The entire family went down to Florida for the funeral where they had a very touching tribute that included fireworks. Seeing Phil and his father so shaken up was hard for viewers. Phil and Frank are two of the most positive and optimistic characters in the series, so their grief was hard to bear.

1 Frank Dunphy

The death of Frank Dunphy was by far the saddest death in the series. Frank and Phil had such a close bond and shared so many similarities. Luckily for Phil, he has the same relationship with his son as he did with his dad.

Unlike DeDe and Grace, Frank made multiple appearances throughout the show and left a shining light on his family. Sadly, this meant Phil was the last remaining family member on his side. As an only child with both of his parents gone, all Phil could do was focus on his own family.

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Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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