The number of deaths is as high as 60 Homewiki after 28 seasons. With theunexpected death of Paulien in Friday’s episode, the counter stands at 61deaths. Most of the characters were killed by a psychopath, died in a fight orsuccumbed to a health problem. But a few, like Paulien, had a very fatefulend. As if the writers couldn’t get rid of their characters fast enough.
Jens De Belder (Jelle Cleymans) – season 21, December 2015
Next week it will be seven years since the Homeviewer suffered one of the mostshocking deaths. Jens De Belder, owner of café Frens, would leave for New Yorkwith his love Lena to start a new life there. In the taxi that is to take themto the airport, he asks her to marry him. She says yes. An enthusiastic Jensrealizes that his ring is still in the Frens, jumps out of the car and is hithard by his best friend Paulien. Two days later, on Christmas, the popularcharacter succumbs to his injuries.
As so often, the Homefan in advance that Jelle Cleymans would leave the soap.The hope was that he would simply leave for New York and disappear from view,but the writers showed their most brutal side.
Robert Vercammen (Sjarel Branckaerts) – season 2, May 1997
The writers used the same trick many years earlier. Robert Vercammen,Leontien’s father, is beaten half to death by Frank Bomans after chasing hisSimonnneke. Bomans only delivers half the work, so the writers finished it ina different way.
When Vercammen is told that he will not receive compensation for the sufferingFrank caused him – he feigned amnesia for months to get money – he angrily andinattentively walks away from his company. Outside he is hit by Rudi, one ofhis workmen. It does do a full job: Vercammen is dead as a rock.
Kasper Kosinski (Mattias Van de Vijver) – season 18, October 2012
Kasper, the adoptive son of Waldek and Rosa, was no saint. But he deserved abetter ending. By Season 18, the young fellow had gone astray. He stole moneyfrom Peggy’s travel agency, but wants to return it. Peggy is still presentwhen Kasper breaks in. She takes out her pepper spray, attacks the unknowncriminal, Kasper falls down and later dies from his injuries.
It’s certainly not impossible. But in a world where an elderly lady likeMadame Marianne can survive a fall from the top of a flight of stairs (on topof dozens of other life-threatening situations), dying from such anunspectacular fall is a little lame. And just a lot of bad luck for Kasper.
Tania Tibergyn (Katrien De Becker) – season 27, April 2022
Sometimes it’s as simple as one drink. The viewer had not seen the death ofTania in April of this year, nor did actress Katrien De Becker. “There weretoo many characters and someone had to disappear,” she said herself in thisnewspaper. It does indeed seem that way.
In Bar Madam, Tania unknowingly drank a glass of drugged soda and died. End ofstory, which according to De Becker himself was too short. “A soap opera isnever forever, but I didn’t expect the curtain to fall already.”
Bill De Witte (Gunther Samson) – Season 24, June 2019
Bill De Witte, Joren’s father and Sam’s brother, was not allowed to play afull season before the writers attributed him a cruel death. The man tried topull his drunken son off the track and save it from an oncoming train, but wascaught himself.
Actor Gunther Samson can rely on the fact that he contributed to a storylinewith a social message about the danger of walking on the rails. “I can onlyapplaud this theme throughout Home sitting,” he said. “If we, as a fictionteam, can ensure that there is awareness about this, I am very proud of myprofession and of what we can do.”
Edward and Ingrid from ‘I’m leaving’. © AVROTROS