Yellowstone, the groundbreaking show created by Taylor Sheridan, will begin airing its final season in November 2024. The announcement comes following a months-long dispute with exiting actor Kevin Costner (who plays the patriarch John Dutton) and the SAG-AFTRA strikes that shut down Hollywood and delayed production. For his part, Costner told Entertainment Tonight that there is a possibility that he will return in the final episodes, after all.
Now, however, the final shows are in the can, and fans can’t wait to see how the story of the Duttons and their beloved Yellowstone ranch finally comes to an end. One of the big questions, of course, is how the show will handle the departure of Costner. Will his character be killed off? And who among the Dutton children will die first, if any at all? In the meantime, let’s take a look back at the most shocking deaths in Yellowstone history so far.
Dan Jenkins Put Up a Good Fight
Real estate is a dirty business in Montana, and Dan Jenkins found that out the hard way in Season 2, Episode 10, “Sins of the Father.” The Beck brothers hired a pack of hitmen to push Dan out of his land deal permanently. After Dan put up a good fight and clipped two of them, the third hitman came out of nowhere and finished the job. After getting hit in the chest, Dan utters his dying words: “I have every right to be here. I have every right. I have a right. This is America.” Poor Dan was just another hopeful American waiting for the piece of the pie.
Jimmy Feels Responsible for Dirk Hurdstrom’s Death
Jimmy Hurdstrom got a bit of a rough start in life. He gets a second chance when he gets a job at the Dutton’s Yellowstone ranch thanks to his kindly grandfather, Dirk, pulling a few strings with the folks in charge. Unfortunately, Jimmy didn’t settle all his old debts, and a few people he stiffed out of money jump Dirk, hoping to collect on behalf of his grandson. Unfortunately, Dirk suffers a stroke and dies from the fright of being jumped. Dirk’s death irreparably changes Jimmy’s life, and he’s heartbroken and guilty about the old man’s death.
Teal Beck Went Out Without Dignity
Teal Beck was nothing if not a slimy, sleazy businessman. He’d teamed up with his equally sleazy brother, Malcolm, to take on the Broken Rock Reservation and the Paradise Valley in a bid for their much-desired real estate deal. The Dutton clan, however, had enough of the Beck brothers’ shenanigans by the end of Season 2. Kayce Dutton shot Teal Beck to death as Teal sat on the toilet, despite his pleas for mercy and dignity. But that wasn’t going to happen on Kayce’s watch.
Rip Took Out Roarke Morris in a Brutal Way
Nobody crosses Beth Dutton Wheeler and gets away with it. Roarke Morris, unfortunately, found that out the hard way when he went up against the mercurial woman and her winner-take-all family. Roarke’s fate, though, was determined by Beth’s longtime paramour, Rip Wheeler, who found the troublemaker as he was fly-fishing. In the Season 4, Episode 1 episode, “Half the Money,” Rip carries a cooler with a venomous snake and tosses the serpent onto Morris. The last thing anyone hears is Morris screaming in pain as the snake bites him over and over. Rip stands over Morris’ body to make sure the Dutton family’s rival is really dead.
Wade Morrow Suffers a Brutal Death
The loyal ranch hands at Yellowstone all bear the “Y” brand of the ranch to prove their loyalty. This loyalty, perhaps as can be expected, includes keeping the Dutton family secrets at all costs. Betrayal of the ranch after receiving the brand, however, can lead to dire consequences. Wade Morrow found this out the hard way. Nobody is willing to forgive Wade after he abandons the ranch, especially given the importance of the pledge. And so, in a graphic sequence (and one of the worst things the Duttons did on Yellowstone), Walker cuts Wade’s flesh and brand off his chest before hanging him to death.
Sarah Nguyen Uncovered Corruption
As hard as it is to believe, the entire story of Yellowstone kicked off because an investigative journalist named Sarah Nguyen believes that her fellow fly-fisher, John Dutton, has a story to tell, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. She uses John’s adopted son, Jamie, to get to him. Unfortunately for her, she uncovers the corruption and under-handedness in the Dutton family, courtesy of the big-mouthed double agent Jamie. Sarah dies after Jamie chokes her to death when she refuses to remove his quotes from the story. Rip, for his part, makes Sarah’s death look like an unfortunate kayaking accident, so suspicion remains off the family. But this wouldn’t be the last time Jamie’s double-crossing ways will come back to bite him.
Donnie Haskell Knew His End Was Near
Sheriff Donnie Haskell and John Dutton understood one another, which is why Haskell’s death in Season 4, Episode 8, “No Kindness for the Coward,” is so shocking. John and Rip tried to save the day when a bunch of crooks took over the café where Donnie was eating. Donnie pulled out his weapon as the gunfire started, but tragically, one of the crooks managed to shoot him in the chest. John and Rip were trying their hardest to neutralize the assailants. After John and Rip won, they hurried to Donnie to attempt to save their enduring buddy, but it was soon apparent that he was aware of his limited time. And finally, in one of the most heartbreaking events in Yellowstone, John reached for Donnie’s phone to give his daughter one more chance to speak with him.
John Dutton III Was Tragically Lost Too Soon
Baby John Dutton III wasn’t officially a Yellowstone character, but his death was just as sad, and shocking, as everyone else’s. In Season 5, Episode 1, “One Hundred Years is Nothing,” A severely pregnant Monica rushes to the hospital in an attempt to give birth before a cow emerges out of nowhere on the road. The subsequent collision launches her several feet from the debris, and her child soon passes away. Monica and Kayce’s relationship, which had already been through its fair share of ups and downs, goes through some more as a result of their poor baby’s unfortunate death. The couple, however, emerges stronger in the end.
Garrett Randall Died by the Hand of His Own Son
Garrett Randall, who was Jamie’s biological father, was an evil man. He’d been released after serving time for murder, and the person he killed was none other than Jamie’s biological mother. Nevertheless, Jamie had some level of twisted loyalty to him for a time, even going so far as to sell out John Dutton to gain his approval, which doesn’t make Beth a happy woman. In order to maintain his reputation and support the Dutton family, Jamie chose to kill his biological father. Following his father’s death, Jamie became Beth’s permanent whipping boy, as she taunts him incessantly with video evidence of the crime. Jamie’s activities against his father could have disastrous effects on both him and the Dutton family, as may be explored in the final season of Yellowstone.
Lee Dutton’s Death Set the Tone for the Show
Lee Dutton’s death in Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 1 “Daybreak,” shocks the viewer almost immediately. Lee was groomed to be the heir of the Yellowstone throne, and his death following a shootout over some cattle resets the tone of the Dutton family for the remainder of the show. That said, what’s even more shocking is that no one in the Dutton family seems to ever directly address Lee’s death after it happens, leaving fans to wonder if they’ll finally address the proverbial elephant in the room before the series finally ends for good.
