JACK STALLARD

The television series “Young Sheldon” ended a seven-year run this week, and — as is often the case — the series couldn’t end without one of the major characters also meeting an untimely ending.

Sheldon’s dad, George, leaves the house for his job as a football coach at the local high school, promising the family he would see them later. Instead, the family receives a visit from two people who worked with George at the high school informing them he suffered a fatal heart attack.

I don’t think I’m spoiling anything there since I don’t actually watch the show but have witnessed the scene dozens of times on social media the past few weeks. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of “Young Sheldon,” but evidently that was enough to become attached because I got a little choked up when George went to that big stadium in the sky.

I guess that’s the true test of a good movie or television character. Even if we know they are going to die, it still hurts when it happens.

With that in mind, here are a few other television and movie deaths that took me some time to get over.

• Augustus “Gus” McCrae: I lied. I still haven’t gotten over Gus dying. I saw the “Lonesome Dove” mini-series before I read the novel, so his death caught me by surprise. I watched it five times before I quit yelling at the television for Gus to quit being so hard-headed and let the doctor cut off his other leg to save his life. Henry Blake: I never forgave the writers of “MASH” for making Colonel Blake’s plane crash when he was finally heading home from the Korean War.
• Ernie Pantusso: Coach was my favorite character on the sitcom “Cheers.” When the actor who portrayed him – Nicholas Colasanto – died in real life, Coach was written out of the show without explaining his death.

One of my favorite scenes was when Coach comforted his only daughter, who considered herself ugly, by telling her she grows more beautiful each day — like her mother did. His daughter, now full of confidence, tells the abrasive bum she was about to marry because she didn’t believe she could do better to get lost.

I wish the writers had let Coach take the guy out back and have a black-eye discussion with him.

• Edith Bunker: If you don’t get choked up watching Archie Bunker telling his recently departed wife goodbye while holding one of her slippers on “All in the Family,” get to a doctor’s office quickly and have your heart checked.
• Brian Piccolo: The first time I saw Chicago Bears’ running back Brian Piccolo die from cancer at the age of 26 in the movie “Brian’s Song,” I cried like a baby. The 10th time I watched that scene, I cried like a baby.

It got so bad, I finally watched the movie on rewind one final time so I could convince myself Piccolo got sick, got better and then became a famous football player.

• James Evans: J.J.’s daddy from “Good Times” was a great combination of tough and gentle. He once whipped a neighbor kid who got mouthy in his house, and he later refused to take revenge on a gang member who shot J.J. because he felt sorry for the kid. His character was killed in a car wreck, the writer’s way of getting the actor off the show after a contract/creative difference dispute.
• Buford Pusser: If you grew up in Tennessee, the legendary McNairy County Sheriff was likely one of your earliest heroes. The movie “Walking Tall” – the original with Joe Don Baker as Pusser (not the one with The Rock) is my favorite movie of all-time. “Walking Tall Part II “is my second favorite movie.

I’m not too fond of “Walking Tall Part III” because that’s the one where Pusser wrecks his Corvette and dies.

The wreck was ruled an accident, but I suspect foul play.

All of these deaths hit me hard, but none of them will ever top the scene when young Travis has to shoot Old Yeller after his prized dog saves them by fighting off a rabid wolf.

If I hadn’t later watched the movie “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” I probably never would have gotten over losing Old Yeller.