The Wire is considered by many to be the best television show of all time. The HBO series examined the war of drugs with Baltimore and how it affected various elements of the city. One thing the show is often praised for is its realism. There are a lot of grey areas in the series, a lot of disappointment, and a lot of heartbreak.

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Death can be particularly impactful on the show as it is also dealt with in a very straightforward way. Characters are killed off quickly and without warning, but that doesn't make the deaths any less sad. Here are the saddest character deaths in The Wire.

Cheese's Dog

brother mozone

There are a lot of people who die throughout the series, but there is something about the death of a dog that really tugs at the heartstrings. Cheese Wagstaff is one of the more despicable characters in the series, so it's not too surprising that he is involved in something as awful as dogfighting.

After his prize dog loses in a fight, Cheese shoots the dog out of anger. The fact that the dog was forced to fight and killed for losing is tragic enough, but Cheese is particularly broken up about it afterward. This is a man who has killed people without remorse, but the death of his beloved dog actually brings him to tears.

Snoop

Snoop was one of the most interesting characters in the show, as well as being one of the most terrifying. She was one of the main enforcers working for Marlo Stanfield and was responsible for a number of deaths throughout the series.

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Snoop's own time comes when she is tasked with killing Michael, a young member of her crew. However, Michael is smarter than he looks and gets the drop on her. Even with a gun in her face, Snoop is as calm as ever, accepting her fate. She takes one final moment to look in the mirror and ask "How's my hair look, man" before being shot.

Butchie

Omar Little made a lot of enemies in his career of ripping off drug dealers, but he has also made a lot of very loyal friends as well. Butchie is certainly the most loyal of them, helping Omar on many occasions and he is one of the few people who knows where Omar went into hiding. Ultimately, it is that information that gets Butchie killed.

Snoop and Chris Partlow visit Butchie and torture him for information on Omar. Though he is old and blind, Butchie is also very strong and doesn't give them anything. After killing Butchie, we see just how much he meant to Omar from his devastated reaction and quest from vengeance.

Stringer Bell

Stringer Bell declares his intention to join business school in The Wire

Stringer Bell is certainly not one of the more sympathetic characters on the show. He is a ruthless killer who thinks of himself as a businessman, but can't escape the violent world he is a part of. As his ambitions continue to clash with Avon Barksdale's gangster ways, the two friends drift apart.

Stringer is finally brought down as Omar and Brother Mozone team up and confront him. Before killing him, they let Stringer know that it was Avon who gave him up. Even after all the terrible things he had done, the betrayed look on his face makes it hard not to feel a little bad for him.

D’Angelo Barksdale

D'Angelo is introduced as the nephew of kingpin Avon Barksdale and a key member of their organization. However, he grows increasingly disillusioned with the life of crime and struggles with the terrible things these people do, including killing innocent people.

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After being arrested, D'Angelo turns against the Barksdale crew, attempting to put his dark past behind him. However, Stringer decides he has become too much of a risk and orders his killing behind bars. To see someone who genuinely wants to change for the better killed in such a needless way is truly tragic.

Frank Sobotka

The series is filled with a lot of grey areas, making it difficult to decide who is good and who is bad. Frank Sobotka is a perfect example of this as he is willing to overlook some terrible things in order to help out the people he loves.

Frank oversees the dockworkers union who is struggling to find work. He helps out the crew by allowing the mysterious Greek crimelord to transport goods through his dock. As police begin closing in on the operation, Frank struggles between cooperating with police or staying loyal to the dealers, only wanting to do what's best for his loved ones. In the end, he chooses to stay loyal but is killed for being a liability.

Sherrod

The Wire Bubbles Narcotics Anonymous Scene

Bubbles is one of the most heartbreaking characters on the show. He is introduced as a heroin addict living on the streets and goes through so much pain and suffering throughout the series. Clearly, the thing that hit him the hardest was the death of his young friend, Sherrod.

After a local thug continues to beat and rob Bubbles on a regular basis, Bubbles takes extreme measures by poisoning his dope stash, hoping it will kill the thug when he takes it. Sadly, Sherrod unknowingly takes it and Bubbles is devastated by the accidental death, even turning himself into police and trying to kill himself.

Omar Little

Omar came back (The Wire)

Omar is a fan-favorite on the show and it's not hard to see why. Though he is a criminal and willing to kill, Omar has a code that he lives by, never harming anyone who isn't "in the game". However, it always seemed like a matter of time before his dangerous life caught up with him.

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While Marlo's people were relentlessly hunting Omar, his death was shockingly abrupt. While shopping in a convenience store, a young boy from the neighborhood shoots Omar in the head without any warning. It was an appropriately unceremonious end to a beloved character.

Bodie

The Wire Bodie Death Scene

Bodie is a young man who gradually becomes a key soldier in the Barksdale crew. But even after his years of loyalty, he is abandoned as the crew is slowly whittled away. With Avon in jail and Stringer dead, Marlo begins taking over but Bodie refuses to give up his corner.

Bodie's last stand is a heartbreaking moment of a young man who knows he's grown too old for this work. As he fights off Marlo's crew, Bodie refuses to leave his corner even when he is all alone. Finally, he is shot in the back of the head and his corner is taken from him.

Wallace

Michael B. Jordan started his amazing career with his memorable role as Wallace on The Wire. Wallace was one of the young boys who worked for D'Angelo along with his friends, Poot and Bodie. However, Wallace learns he is not made for this world after being involved in a murder.

Thinking he is a liability, Stringer decides Wallace must be taken care of. Even more tragically, it is Poot and Bodie who are tasked with killing him. Seeing these young boys gun down their friend as he begs for his life is one of the most disturbing things to happen in the series.

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