Young Sheldon: How did Sheldon’s dad George die?

After Season 7’s heartbreaking Episode 12, social media was awash with tributes to the beloved beer-guzzling, bum-punching dad from Young Sheldon. Ahead of the finale, a fan-made video of George went viral, amassing millions of likes on TikTok.

Everyone knew it was coming, but that doesn’t mean it hurt any less (fans have even set up a real-life memorial for the character), and that grief came to a head with his funeral in Episode 13.

If you watched The Big Bang Theory, you’ll be aware of the conflicting information about George’s death (and how good of a father he was, something directly addressed in Episode 14). So, let’s clear up any confusion.

George Cooper’s death in Young Sheldon explained

George Cooper died from a heart attack in Young Sheldon.

George’s fate was first teased way back in Season 1 Episode 3 when he suffered his first heart attack. While it didn’t kill him, it certainly knocked him off his feet, with Sheldon spooked by the sight of his dad hooked up to all sorts of medical apparatus in the hospital.

In the Season 4 finale, George suffered another small heart attack as he was flirting with Brenda Sparks following a particularly heated argument with Mary.

However, unlike those two occasions, George’s fatal heart attack was kept off-screen. Instead, we watched him leave for work in the morning — and he simply never returned home. Later that day, Principal Tom and Coach Wilkins delivered the bad news to the Coopers.

Speaking to Variety, producer Steve Holland said: “We always knew that George’s death would happen off screen, that we didn’t want to witness it. It was just a question of when.”

He reiterated this to Deadline, explaining: “It was always going to be off camera. We didn’t want to witness that moment of his death. We always knew we were going to deal with his death this season, but we never thought about seeing it on camera. So really the discussion was when it would happen in the course of the last few episodes and how the family would get the news.”

Why George had to die in Young Sheldon

George’s death in Young Sheldon was pre-ordained because The Big Bang Theory already revealed that he died when Sheldon was 14 years old.

CBS

George is generally the subject of rather unflattering anecdotes in the original series, like Sheldon talking about how his dad shot the television during a football game. However, one thing has always been clear: he died when Sheldon was a teenager.

Holland said it was a “bit of a challenge” to write George’s death, given it was already so widely known among the fans. “There are some pieces of the lore and some pieces of the ending that people know. But I think for us it’s also about trying to tell those stories in ways that are still surprising,” he said.

“Especially since the show has gone to Netflix, I think there is an audience that is younger and less familiar with Big Bang. So I actually don’t know the answer of how many people expect certain things to happen in the finale versus how many people will be surprised by them. It’s a good question.”

That’s not to say the writers were happy about killing off George — in fact, they were devastated about it.

In Episode 12’s post-credits note, Chuck Lorre wrote: “Eighteen years ago, when we were writing and producing The Big Bang Theory, it seemed like a good idea to imagine that Sheldon’s childhood was deeply disrupted by the loss of his father. No one could have thought that someday, we would regret that decision. That someday is now.

“There were a lot of tears on stage when this episode’s last scene was shot. A reminder that we had all fallen in love with a fictional character. Which is, itself, a reminder to love the characters in our life who are real. To do otherwise, is to live with regret.”

Did George’s actor die in real life?

No, Lance Barber is still alive in real life.

CBS

Given the off-screen nature of George’s death, some viewers were concerned that Barber may have also passed away. This isn’t true — it was out of respect for the character (and for the sake of the fans), and nothing to do with the star’s health.

In an interview with TV Insider, Barber praised how George’s death was handled. “I love the writer’s choice to end the episode that way, to tell the story that way because it’s a great device. Everyone will feel that kick in the gut and then [they’re] left swirling in their loss the way that our characters do in that moment,” he said.

“I imagine this whole thing will be polarizing. Some people will not like it because it’s hard and some people will appreciate it because it’s hard. I certainly do.”

George’s death leaves one Big Bang Theory mystery

In Season 4 Episode 2 of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon abbreviated his dad’s cause of death as “SBL” — but this is never explained. He died from a heart attack, but there’s no cardiological diagnosis linked to those letters, so what could it mean?

CBS

While canonicity isn’t a big concern in The Big Bang Theory, this one curious detail concerning George’s death from the original series has still never been addressed.

In short, it doesn’t matter. Holland said George’s age was the only thing they tried to follow from the TBBT. “And to be honest, even Big Bang canon isn’t entirely consistent. It got more consistent. We know it was 14 and we know that Sheldon goes to Caltech right afterwards and leaves Georgie and the rest of the family behind grieving. Those were the two pieces that we knew,” he said.

“I don’t remember if it was sort of an implied heart attack. I’m not sure if we actually ever said heart attack. It’s what we had always thought, internally. We know Sheldon’s dad passed away when he was 14, but I don’t remember if we ever specifically said heart attack,” he added.

All 14 episodes of Young Sheldon Season 7 are now available to stream on Paramount Plus. You can check out everything we know about Young Sheldon Season 8, as well as why the Young Sheldon finale wasn’t even about George or Sheldon at all, and other binge-worthy TV shows to add to your list.