Powerful psychic Dick Hallorann goes to a lot of trouble to return to the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, only to be killed right when he arrives. While Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance are clearly the main characters of The Shining, especially in the film, Overlook Hotel head chef Dick Hallorann is also an important part of the story. This is even more true in Stephen King's book, which shines much more of a spotlight on Dick. His backstory would also later be added to in King's novel IT, and Shining sequel Doctor Sleep.
Of course, Dick Hallorann was free to appear in King's Doctor Sleep book because the character survived The Shining on the printed page. In director Stanley Kubrick's iconic, but hated by King, movie version of The Shining, Dick doesn't make it to the end of the film alive. Dick dying was only one of many changes Kubrick made to King's prose, one reason why the author has never been too fond of the The Shining's film adaptation.
Dramatically, Dick Hallorann's surprise death in The Shining's third act is an effective, shocking scene of violence. However, when one stops to consider what happened, it doesn't entirely make sense. Dick may not "shine" as strongly as Danny, but he's no slouch, and really should've seen his demise coming.
The Shining: Why Doesn't Dick Hallorann Sense His Death Coming?
The titular ability in The Shining, that both Dick Hallorann and Danny Torrance possess to varying degrees, enables the user to read the minds of those around them, and communicate telepathically with other gifted people. It also allows those who "shine" to see images of events that happened in the past, and in some case, will happen in the future. This is illustrated by Danny's visions of the Overlook prior to his family's arrival, which contain scenes that have yet to take place.
While Danny's "shine" is more powerful than most, Dick's powers are by no means weak. It's through Danny's two-way psychic communication with Dick that the latter learns he must return to the Overlook in order to save Danny's life. Yet, Dick travels all the way to Colorado from Florida, and not once does he seem to get any inkling of his impending murder. What's worse is that he walks through the Overlook for a bit before being ambushed by an axe-wielding Jack Torrance. Why wasn't Dick able to sense that Jack was waiting for him with murderous intent? Additionally, in Stephen King's book, Dick actually does foresee his probable death, and ends up surviving his tangle with Jack. The most charitable explanation is that the Overlook Hotel's spirits are somehow inhibiting Dick's powers, but they only seem to amplify Danny's, so that idea doesn't really make sense. As great as The Shining is, Dick's lack of ability to predict and avert his own death seems like a plain old plot hole.