Like every soap, Home and Away fans have been left truly devastated when they’re forced to say goodbye to their favourite characters.
While the soap has seen several tragic yet memorable exits that send characters out with a bang, others haven’t been so fortunate.
Since the soap first kicked off in 1988, there have been several minor and main characters who were denied the chance to play out their final moments on-screen – for whatever reason.
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Daily Star has flicked through some of the soap’s prominent characters whose deaths took place off-screen.
Kylie Burton
Kylie Burton, played by Roslyn Oades, was the first major character whose death took place off-screen on the soap.
First appearing in 1996, Kylie arrived in the Bay in search of former flame Jesse McGregor (Ben Unwin), with whom she shared a daughter, Rachel (Kelly Glaister).
In 1997, the couple rekindled their relationship and decided to get married.
But as the pair were about the exchange vows, the police arrived and arrested Kylie for her involvement in a hit-and-run which killed a man.
After a failed attempt at going on the run with Jesse and Rachel, Kylie was arrested once again and sent to prison.
It was revealed in 1998 that while she was behind bars, Kylie had become addicted to drugs and died of an overdose.
Lachlan Fraser
Portrayed by Richard Grieve, Lachlan “Lachie” Fraser first rocked up in Summer Bay in 1997.
Introduced as a new doctor working at Summer Bay’s local hospital, Lachie later embarked on a romance with Chloe Richards (Kirsty Wright) following a one-night stand which resulted in her pregnancy.
But in 1998, Richard quit the role of Lachie, kickstarting his exit storyline which involved him battling a brain tumour.
After he underwent surgery, Lachie’s mother, Diana Fraser (Kerry McGuire), arrived and sent him to America to receive further treatment as she was unhappy with his treatment in Australia.
Lachie died from his brain tumour off-screen in 1999 and a memorial service was held in Summer Bay.
Dan Baker
During his three years in Summer Bay, Dan Baker’s most prominent relationship came with long-running character Leah Patterson (Ada Nicodemou).
Actor Tim Campbell played the character from 2004 until 2007 and, in that time, had domestic abuse claims made against him by his ex wife and also struggled with a gambling addiction.
At the end of 2007, Dan landed a job as a camp counsellor in America – a role he couldn’t turn down and moved to the States the intention of having Leah join him a few months later.
In early 2008, Leah discovered Dan had been killed in an abseiling accident trying to save a young boy.
As Tim decided to quit the role and Ada had no intention of leaving, Home and Away writers battled with how to write the character out of the script.
They eventually came to the conclusion to kill the character off-screen, believing there was no other way as they couldn’t have split up Dan and Leah.
Vinnie Patterson
Before Leah fell in love with Dan, she was completely smitten with Vinnie Patterson who made his first appearance in 1997.
Shortly after Leah gave birth to their son, VJ in 2001, Vinnie was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraud after being framed by his business partner.
After Vinnie, played by Ryan Kwanten, insisted Leah no longer visited him in prison, she was devastated upon learning he had died in a fire behind bars.
It was later revealed Vinnie had survived the fire and was living it witness protection.
Leah debated returning to be with Vinnie but opted to stay in Summer Bay as she was now in a relationship with Dan.
In 2010, Elijah Johnson (Jay Laga’aia) arrived in the Bay and revealed to Leah that Vinnie had died in a farming accident 18 months prior.
Romeo Smith
Fan favourite Romeo Smith met a tragic and rather unsatisfactory end following four years in Summer Bay.
His most prominent storyline was his on-off relationship and later marriage with Indi Walker (Samara Weaving) which became an instant hit with fans.
In 2013, Romeo (Luke Mitchell) was diagnosed with incurable skin cancer and made the decision to hide his illness from Indi.
(Image: (C) SEVEN NETWORK / ENDEMOL)
After learning he had terminal stage four melanoma, Romeo fled the bay without telling anyone he was going to die.
Shortly after his exit, Indi’s father told her the truth about Romeo’s illness and she later discovered her husband had passed away.
Fans were furious at Romeo’s abrupt exit before the storyline properly kicked off, and more-so at being denied the chance to watch Romeo and Indi share the emotional goodbye that they deserved.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
