Chandler Riggs and His Father Comment On Carl's Death On The Walking Dead

During The Walking Dead's mid-season finale, audiences were shocked to discover Carl Grimes had been bitten by a walker. Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, has been part of the show since its first season in 2011 when Riggs was only 11 years old. Audiences across the world got to watch Riggs grow up as both Carl Grimes and Chandler Riggs. It really sucks to see him go and it will definitely affect the rest of the series. 

Carl's death shocked both audiences and fellow cast members.

"I always thought Carl was going to be the one who led the show forward," Andrew Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter, "that Rick would hand over his boots and revolver when he walked off into the sunset in season 28."

Unfortunately, that dream will never come true. Rumor's of Carl's death on the show have been around for years. When the rumors resurfaced, I thought nothing of them, even though they were a bit more convincing this time. The rumors involved speculation that Riggs wanted to go to school and pursue other career options. When I found out he was killed, I immediately thought it was for the sole reason of Riggs wanting to move on from the show. I would totally understand if that was the case, he is a young and talented man who shouldn't be tied down from achieving greater! 

Apparently, there was some drama behind Riggs' departure from the show. On Riggs' father's Facebook page, Mr. Rigg was asked how he felt about his son's departure from the show. This was his response.

"Watching Gimple fire my son 2 weeks before his 18th birthday after telling him they wanted him for the next 3 years was disappointing. I never trusted Gimple or AMC but Chandler did. I know how much it hurt him. But we do absolutely know how lucky we have been to be a part of it all and appreciate all the love from fans all these years."

The comment has since been deleted. 

It's always hard for an actor when their character is killed off, but it seems especially cruel for Riggs. Riggs has always taken the show very seriously and it's messed up he was told he would be on the show for years to come only to be fired before his 18th birthday. 

Chandler Riggs also wrote to a well-known spoiler website for The Walking Dead, The Spoiling Dead Fans. Riggs wrote to the website, which has 461,518 likes on Facebook, asking for them to withhold information on his death from their fans. Riggs stated he was proud of his performance and thinks the surprise was crucial to his character and his performance. Riggs took a HUGE risk asking them for this. The website could easily have screenshotted his message and shared with the world as confirmation of Carl's death. Luckily, the website respected the young actor's wishes. 

Riggs' also had an emotional message for the fans that addressed his love for the show and his gratefulness that fans have continued to watch and support him. He acknowledged that the show's ratings have significantly dropped, but said he was still excited about his recent episodes. He also mentioned the fact that the cast and crew are often frustrated with The Spoiling Dead Fans, but he said he appreciates the fan's dedication to the show. 

The full post, along with Riggs' original message and a message to the fans, can be found here. 

Chandler Rigg's final performance was one of his best yet and it was an amazingly satisfying exit for him on the show. As much shit as Carl gets for killing Dale, not obeying orders, and being a moody teenager, he has always been a fan favorite and the heart of the show. The Walking Dead will never be the same. 

Carl had such a huge impact on the show and is arguably the next main character behind Rick. He has been one of the constant main focuses of the show and was always the main inspiration behind Rick's actions. I always saw Carl's character as one of the very few untouchable characters, like Rick Grimes. I'm truly shocked they decided to kill him off, especially after learning more about what happened.

Carl went out in a great way. He has always been either the heart of the show or the harsh realization of the world the characters live in. Carl was bitten when helping a stranger fulfill his mother's wishes of freeing the souls of the dead. It was a stupid and childish thing to do, but Carl is just a child. It's hard to remember that after everything his character has been through, but he still has the heart of a child. There may have been times when that heart was hidden deeper than usual, but it was still there. 

Carl may have sealed his fate during that moment, but it was his final moments alive that also proved how far his character has come. Ever since season 2, people have been telling Carl that someday he would make the calls, just like his father. Carl had made some important calls in the past, but never like in this episode. He acted like a true leader and put his people before him; it was clear he was Rick's son. He also didn't regret helping the stranger that resulted in his death, but he embraced the fact he did it. Carl died as both the child we saw in season 1 and the man his character was always meant to be. 

I wish Chandler Riggs the best of luck in the music and theatre world. He has proven that he is capable of incredible things and I'm excited to see where his hard work will take him next!