WatchMojo's list of the top 10 actors who passed away while their TV shows were still on the air. The list includes:
1. Freddie Prinze (Chico and the Man) - died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2. Cory Monteith (Glee) - died from a drug overdose.
3. John Spencer (The West Wing) - died from a heart attack.
4. Mary Kay Bergman (South Park) - died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound due to depression and bipolar disorder.
5. John Eric Hexam (Cover Up) - accidentally shot himself with a prop gun.
6. Nicolas Colasanto (Cheers) - died from a heart attack.
7. Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) - died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
8. Jim Henson (Sesame Street) - died from toxic shock syndrome.
9. John Ritter (8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter) - died during surgery for heart complications.
10. Bill Hartman (The Simpsons and NewsRadio) - was shot by his wife in his sleep.
The list is a tribute to these actors and their contributions to their respective TV shows.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Freddie Prinze was the star of the sitcom "Chico and the Man".
2. Freddie Prinze died by shooting himself in front of his business manager at the age of 22.
3. The show "Chico and the Man" continued for another season after Prinze's death with a new character introduced to replace him.
4. Cory Monteith played the character Finn Hudson in the TV show "Glee".
5. Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose in a Vancouver hotel room in 2013.
6. Production of "Glee" was delayed after Monteith's death and his character was eventually killed off the show.
7. John Spencer played the character Leo McGarry in the TV show "The West Wing".
8. John Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005.
9. The character of Leo McGarry was written to have died of a heart attack in the show.
10. Mary Kay Bergman voiced many of the female characters in the animated TV show "South Park".
11. Mary Kay Bergman suffered from depression and bipolar disorder.
12. Mary Kay Bergman died by shooting herself in 1999.
13. John Eric Hexam was an actor and model who appeared in the TV show "Cover Up".
14. John Eric Hexam died after shooting himself in the head with a blank gun on set.
15. Nicolas Colasanto played the character Coach Ernie Pantuso in the TV show "Cheers".
16. Nicolas Colasanto died of a heart attack at the age of 61.
17. The character of Coach Ernie Pantuso was written to have died in the show.
18. Andy Whitfield played the title character in the TV show "Spartacus".
19. Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma during the show's production.
20. Andy Whitfield died in 2011 after his cancer recurred.
21. Jim Henson was the creator of the Muppets and worked on "Sesame Street" for 20 years.
22. Jim Henson died of toxic shock syndrome in 1990.
23. Jim Henson's death inspired many tributes and his characters were taken over by other voice actors.
24. John Ritter played the character Paul Hennessy in the TV show "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter".
25. John Ritter died during surgery for heart complications in 2003.
26. The character of Paul Hennessy was written to have died in the show.
27. Bill Hartman played the character Bill McNeal in the TV show "NewsRadio".
28. Bill Hartman voiced characters like Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in "The Simpsons".
29. Bill Hartman was shot by his wife in his sleep and later died in 1998.
30. Bill Hartman's characters were retired in the wake of his death.