Fans of “The Vampire Diaries” were no strangers to heartbreak throughout the show’s run, which spanned from September 10, 2009 to March 10, 2017. “The Vampire Diaries” centers around the supernatural drama in Mystic Falls, Virginia, and the human teenager, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), and the vampire brothers — Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) — vying for her heart.
The Stefan-Elena-Damon love triangle made for some of the show’s most emotional moments. But it’s the countless character deaths that really broke fans’ hearts. Right from Season 1, “The Vampire Diaries” pulls no punches when it comes to killing off fan favorites, starting with Vicki Donovan (Kayla Ewell) and Lexi Branson (Arielle Kebbel) in Season 1. And the death of Sheriff Liz Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) in Season 6 is a devastating ordeal that has lasting consequences for the Mystic Falls gang.
Fans on Reddit agree that Liz’s demise hits harder than other “Vampire Diaries” deaths thanks to the Sheriff’s six-season tenure, as well as her heartbreaking relationship with her daughter Caroline (Candice King).
Liz Forbes dies from cancer in Season 6
“Let Her Go,” Episode 15 of “The Vampire Diaries” Season 6, bids farewell to Liz Forbes as the Mystic Falls gang attends the Sheriff’s funeral. Liz dies in the previous episode after struggling with cancer throughout the season. Caroline initially attempts to use vampire blood to cure her mother, but learns the hard way that vampire blood’s regenerative qualities exacerbate cancer cells rather than curing them.
Liz passes away in a hospital during Episode 14, “Stay,” surrounded by Caroline and her friends. The following episode sees a grieving Caroline turn off her humanity switch to escape her pain. Reddit fans agree that Liz’s death, with all its context and consequences, remains the most tear-jerking scene in “The Vampire Diaries'” universe, outdoing other character losses like Lexi and Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning).
Reddit user saltair_rusonurdoor writes that Liz’s demise is the saddest “Vampire Diaries” death “hands down,” adding, “Seeing Caroline grieve [for Liz] was heartbreaking.” On a separate thread, user JustDickiest wrote, “Liz’s [death] was so hard to watch. Caroline had finally had a few years on good terms with her, only for cancer to take her away. Not to mention how excruciating it is sitting around waiting for her to worsen and die, when Caroline is used to being able to heal with her blood. It was a good mix of real issues (cancer) and vampire issues.” And Candice King herself hated filming the scene because she doesn’t “like crying on screen.”
Sheriff Forbes had a rocky relationship with her vampire daughter
Liz and Caroline shared a tumultuous relationship in “The Vampire Diaries.” During Season 1, the mother-daughter duo is distant, with Caroline dropping multiple zingers at Liz’s expense here and there. Season 2 drives them further apart. Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev) turns Caroline into a vampire during Episode 2, “Brave New World,” placing her in direct conflict with her vampire-hunter mother.
Liz eventually comes around to her daughter’s vampirism and the two begin to repair their relationship. In Season 3, Liz rescues Caroline from her father Bill (Jack Coleman), who is also a vampire hunter, before urging her to flee Mystic Falls with Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) after Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis) outs her as a vampire to the Founder’s Council. Caroline’s relationship with her mother becomes integral to her character arc as the series progresses, which makes Liz’s death that much more devastating — for the characters and fans.
