Chicago Franchise’s Most Heartbreaking Deaths
The Chicago franchise (better known as One Chicago) collectively boasts 623 episodes across 30 seasons if you break it down, and that’s a lot of ground to cover.
Within those seasons there are a number of deaths that take place in the storyline. This is only natural, considering that we’re dealing with firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical professionals who put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities.
With any long-running series, especially one that’s produced by Wolf Entertainment, we see characters come and go as the seasons push their way into the double digits.
We wanted to pay tribute to some of our favorite characters from Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med who are no longer with us in the best way we know how!
Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Yuriy Sardarov) – Chicago Fire
To say that Otis was a beloved character on Chicago Fire would be an understatement. Not only was Otis fearlessly optimistic throughout his eight-season run on the series, but the first responder was an excellent form of comedic relief when moments got tense.
The crew could always count on Otis to reliably drive Truck 81, and he was also a bartender at Molly’s, ready to pour drinks for everybody after a long shift.
Nobody expected for Otis to get killed in a mattress factory explosion, but unfortunately, that was his fate. But Otis died so the rest of his crew could live. And in a way, Otis lives on because Chief Boden had a statue erected in remembrance of Otis at Firehouse 51.
It’s safe to say that Chicago Fire hasn’t quite been the same since Otis’ untimely departure, but we’ll remember him forever.
Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) – Chicago P.D.
Alvin Olinsky was Sergeant Hank Voight’s right-hand man for the first five seasons of Chicago P.D., and it was ultimately this loyalty to Voight that caused him to meet his maker.
In a season 4 crossover episode with Chicago Fire, Olinsky’s daughter, Lexi, was killed in a factory fire, and her death changed him for the worst. Olinsky originally intended to find who was responsible for his daughter’s death, but Voight talked him off the ledge. But it was clear that Olinsky had nothing to lose at this point.
In season 5, Olinsky’s DNA was found on the dead body of Bingham, the man who killed Voight’s son. Though it’s obvious that Voight was the person who killed Bingham, Olinsky took the fall for his longtime friend and partner, which landed him in prison.
It was during his stay in prison that Olinsky was stabbed to death by a gang member, and succumbed to his wounds in the hospital shortly after.
Dr. Daniel Charles’s Wife (Paula Newsome) – Chicago Med
The roads from Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. often intersect at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in Chicago Med. And when a patient or suspect needs psychiatric help, Dr. Daniel Charles is the guy that they need to see.
Charles is the head of Psychiatry, and his willingness to help his patients through their psychological distress while remaining gentle and calm is why he’s such a likable character.
But Dr. Charles experienced his own form of psychological distress when his first wife Caroline (better known as CeCe) passed away from lymphoma. Dr. Charles and CeCe remarried in season 4, but her health had already begun to deteriorate at this point.
Though their second marriage was short-lived, it’s evident that Dr. Charles’ mental health took a nose-dive after CeCe’s passing, and that he would need some therapy of his own.
Nadia Decotis (Stella Maeve) – Chicago P.D.
Not all major deaths that occur in Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med involve main characters, but rather recurring ones. We were introduced to Nadia Decotis in the first season of Chicago P.D., and her story arc is one that will stay with us for many more seasons to come.
Nadia was a prostitute and drug addict who was urged to get clean by Detective Erin Lindsay, and it seemed that she was getting the right path to eventually becoming an intelligence officer herself.
But that all changed when she was abducted, tortured, and murdered by a serial killer named Gregory Yates in season 2.
Nadia was able to leave enough evidence behind in death for Yates to be caught, and convicted not only for her murder, but the murder of several other women.
Leslie Shay (Lauren German) – Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire’s Leslie Shay died in the line of duty during a building collapse, and we learned that there was something far more sinister than an accidental fire behind her death.
Though she passed away at the end of season 2 of Chicago Fire, we learn midway through season 3 that the fire was caused by serial arsonist, Trenton Lamont, who was also responsible for injuring Chief Boden in a fire 20 years prior.
Leslie Shay’s death caught us all by surprise, and Firehouse 51 took a long time to heal from her untimely departure. Her lively personality, and her willingness to step up to any task, no matter how daunting, was a testament to her loyalty, and her unwavering commitment to her friends and colleagues.
Even though Chicago Fire is in its twelfth season, the crew still talks about her to this day, as if she were still alive.
