These shocking deaths made people realise no one is safe in the land of television

Jon Snow Game of Thrones Season 6. Photo / Supplied

Some of these popular TV characters were killed off their shows years ago - and we're still not over it.

In fact, the most unexpected on-screen deaths can often leave fans reeling for a long time.

Here are some of the most shocking ones of all time.

NED STARK, GAME OF THRONES

The brutal execution of Ned Stark in the very early days of Game of Thrones should have been a red flag of what was to come (we're still not over the Red Wedding.)

The Stark patriarch and all-round good guy was killed at the hands of evil King Joffrey Baratheon in season one, kicking off a pattern of devastating deaths that's still showing no signs of slowing down.

JON SNOW, GAME OF THRONES

OK, so this GoT death was a huge fake out. But before Jon Snow was resurrected, we spent a lot of time in despair at his demise.

Season five wrapped up with Jon left bleeding out in the snow after being attacked by the Night Watch mutineers, but was later brought back from the dead by Melisandre, the Red Priestess.

WALTER WHITE, BREAKING BAD

Walter White, also known by his clandestine pseudonym Heisenberg, was hurtling toward death from the very first episode when he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer - but it didn't seem to take the edge off when it actually happened in the series finale.

The former chemist and teacher started manufacturing crystal meth after his diagnosis, and thus entered the seedy and dangerous drug underworld.

In the end, he died from a bullet out of his own machine gun while he was mowing down the bad guys.

PATRICK REID, OFFSPRING

Matthew Le Nevez as Patrick Reid. Photo / Channel 10

Fans recoiled in shock and anger when the leading man in Nina Proudman's life, Patrick Reid, died after being struck by a car towards the end of season four - right before she was set to give birth to his child.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

MAUDE FLANDERS, THE SIMPSONS

The Simpsons really changed the comedy tempo with the shocking death of Ned Flanders' wife Maude.

The devout Christian character died after being knocked off a grandstand by several T-shirt cannons at the Springfield Speedway.

Word is, Maude was killed off the show due to a pay dispute between the actress who voiced her and the show's producers.

DENNY DUQUETTE, GREY'S ANATOMY

The episode where Denny Duquette died in Grey's Anatomy is still too raw to re-watch - it may have even been one of the saddest TV death scenes of all time.

Denny, a patient/love interest of Dr Izzy Stevens, waited a long time to get his heart transplant - but died shortly after when a clot from his stitches went to his brain.

Izzy, all dressed up in fancy attire found her fiancé dead in his hospital bed and climbed in to cuddle him one more time. And all our hearts broke.

SUSAN BIDDLE ROSS, SEINFELD

One of the most darkly comedic moments in sitcom history occurred when George's fiancee, Susan, died from licking out-of-date wedding invitation envelopes.

The episode was later pulled from the US airwaves because of fears about anthrax and mail.