You know we belong together… which is the reason why it’s so darn hard to say goodbye to Home and Away’s beloved characters.
Over the years, there have been sad Summer Bay deaths that had us clutching the box of Kleenex. But which ones stand out like Tane (Ethan Browne) in a sleeved shirt?
Here are the top 10 most heartbreaking deaths which had us bawling like babies…
10. Noah Lawson (Beau Brady), 2004
This one may have occurred more than 20 years ago, but it still seems shocking, especially for a show in a family timeslot.
Crazed Sarah Lewis (Luisa Hastings-Edge) came to the Bay hell-bent on revenge for the death of her boyfriend, Felix (Josh Lawson).
After taking residents hostage, she shot Noah (Beau Brady) before turning the gun on herself.
9. Belle Taylor (Jessica Tovey), 2009
Belle (Belle Tovey) and Aden (Todd Lasance) were one of the iconic Home and Away couples.
So, you can imagine the outpouring of grief from fans when their relationship was forever severed with Belle’s tragic cancer storyline.
After being released from hospital, Belle walks along the beach before later dying in Aden’s arms.
8. Robbo Shaw (Jake Ryan), 2020
Robbo was one of those guys who was always in the thick of the action, such is the life of a federal police officer.
He managed to survive a car crash with a former AFP mate who’d joined a crime gang, but sadly died of complications in hospital, leaving behind his devastated wife, Jasmine (Sam Frost).
“They did such a great storyline with Robbo and there wasn’t much else to do with him,” Jake told TV WEEK.
“You want to go out on a high while you can.”
7. Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson), 1993
As one of the show’s original characters, Bobby felt like a friend we’d grown up with.
So, understandably, her death felt momentous. Bobby was on a boat with Adam (Mat Stevenson) and Luke (John Adam) when the boat hot driftwood, sending Bobby into the water at high speed, where she suffered severe head injuries and later died in hospital.
Two years later, she appeared as a vision in a fridge door to Ailsa (Judy Nunn), who was hallucinating.
6. Meg Bowman (Cathy Goldbold), 1992
For fans of the early years of H&A, the image of leukaemia sufferer Meg (Cathy Goldbold) dying in partner Blake’s (Les Hill) arms on the beach is one of the most iconic of all time.
In a devastating turn of events, Meg’s portrayer Cathy died of brain cancer in 2018.
5. Shane Parrish (Dieter Brummer), 1996
Aside from Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue), there was no bigger ‘90s TV couple than Shane and Angel (Melissa George). So, when Shane passed away from septicaemia, related
to an infection from rusty wire, fans were left heartbroken.
The dream couple were no more. Sadly, Dieter died in 2021.
4. Felicity Newman (Jacqui Purvis), 2024
The most surprising aspect of Flick Newman’s death was how sudden it was.
Flick died of a brain aneurysm at her brother Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Eden’s (Stephanie Panozzo) engagement party.
Previously, she’d survived a fiery car crash en route to her wedding and was later drugged and assaulted.
3. Theo Poulos (Matt Evans), 2025
As singer-songwriter Billy Joel once noted, only the good die young.
And that was certainly the case for Theo, whose 2025 death left a massive hole in the hearts of fans.
The character died a horrid hit-and-run crash as pushed his girlfriend Lacey (Sophea Pennington) out of the way of a car driven by bad guy Wendell (Justin Smith). And the ripple affects of his death are still being felt in the Bay.
2. Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes), 2014
Two years later, Jake once again tore our hearts to pieces when, after kidnapping the Braxtons’ half-brother Josh (Jackson Gallagher), he shot sweet Casey, who died somewhat fittingly in his brother Brax’s arms.
Sure, the Braxtons were often mixed up in activities that were often unlawful, but that didn’t make Casey’s death any easier to deal with.
1. Charlie Buckton (Esther Anderson), 2012
On her last day of work before she was set to leave the Bay for a new life in the city, cop Charlie was shot twice by vengeance-fuelled crim Jake Pirovic (Fletcher Humphrys).
Lying in hospital, beau Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and daughter Ruby (Rebecca Breeds) agreed to turn off here ventilator.
Rolling waves of tears filled loungerooms across Australia.
