Blue Bloods is a police procedural, and this means that death is a mundane occasion for the characters — but some of the losses in the show were downright tragic…especially these ones.
5. Emily Copeland
Emily Copeland’s case was a reverse move on the classic “false accusation” trope. This beautiful young woman was found dead in her bed, and in the end, it turned out she’d talked her husband Brian into killing her to avoid the late-stage cancer struggle. Adding to his loss, Brian had to face a life sentence for aiding his wife.
4. Michael Potter
Reverend Potter used to be Frank Reagan’s most intense rival and critic, but as a criminal claimed his young son’s life, he was forced to work with the NYPD to find the culprit. The tragedy of losing a child pulls Reverend into a dark place, and the fact that Michael was killed by his father’s former student only makes it worse.
3. Joe Reagan
Despite happening entirely off-screen and before the pilot episode of the show, Joe Reagan’s murder kicks off Blue Bloods in the first place. From the very first episodes, we watch the Reagan family go through their immense grief and struggle to find justice for their beloved son and brother, and their feelings are too real not to tear up.
2. Sarah Peterson
This young woman’s father, Dr. Peterson, was trying risky methods to cure his daughter of her terrible disease when all the other doctors gave up, and she died as a result. Even though he did all he could to save Sarah who would’ve died anyway, Dr. Peterson is consumed with grief and is ready to face a life sentence for murder.
1. Javier Baez
Javier was the estranged brother of Danny Reagan’s partner, Maria Baez, and while he was a questionable man in terms of his past, he loved his sister more than anything. When Maria was in danger, Javier took a bullet for her and died in her arms, protecting her to the end with his own life. This hit too close to home as watching Baez bowl before her brother’s body was just too much.