Need to know question
(Yes, I'm asking this on the I Need To Know board as well, but I know if I ask it there, they'll tell me to ask it here.) :)
Has a well-known, well-established, well-liked character (villain or not) ever suddenly been killed off a soap and never returned, even though the actor was still alive? I know Benjamin Hendrickson (the actor) died and so they killed Hal Munson off on As The World Turns.
And, I'm speaking specifically about characters, not actor changes. For example, when Meg Ryan left As The World Turns to do movies, Lindsay Frost took over the role as Betsy Andropolous. We *thought* Betsy was dead, but she wasn't. The actor didn't return, but the character did.
So, I'm talking specifically, the character never, ever comes back?