There have been plenty of ups and downs throughout 11 seasons ofModern Family. Viewers have seen the Dunphy, Delgado-Pritchett, and Tucker-Pritchett children grow upwards and create lives of their own outside of their family'south households. And the parents take all found new ventures for the next chapter in their lives. But equally is the case for every lifetime, there accept been a few deaths over the years that tugged on fans' heartstrings.

From pets to parents to friends,Modern Family unit knows how to get viewers reaching for the Kleenex whenever these three families lost someone.

7 Beat out Turtlestein

Among the three families, there take only been a handful of pets sprinkled in over the years. Stella Pritchett is the most famed and beloved pet onModern Family unit merely fans tin can't forget about Larry (Cam and Mitch'due south cat), Scout (Frank's dog), and Trounce Turtlestein (Manny's turtle).

In the episode "Truth Be Told," Jay hangs an inspirational affiche in Manny's room afterwards he had a hard day at school. While hanging the picture, information technology vicious into Manny's turtle's muzzle and killed him. Jay didn't have the guts to tell Manny he killed Trounce, so he made upward a story almost a ravenous raccoon. Manny wrote a very touching goodbye letter for Beat out. It was so upsetting that Jay came clean to Manny past the end of the night.

6 Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli

Cam may have grown upward on a farm but he also has a passion for theatrics. He created his Fizbo grapheme in clown college and loves to bear witness him off from time to time. Sadly, in "Ship Out The Clowns," Cam dressed every bit Fizbo for a sad occasion: the funeral of his friend and mentor, Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli.

Cam said that Professor Ringmaster Al Uzielli was voted the #2 professor under Piemaster General. To celebrate Al Uzielli's life, Fizbo and the other clowns lowered his catafalque into the grave and did a touching clown tribute. After his death, Cam felt inspired to teach Lily his clown ways (much to her chagrin).

5 Grams

In the episode "ClosetCon '13," Mitch, Cam, and Lily were spending the summer with Cam's family unit in Missouri. Cam and Lily were loving the farm life but Mitch judged every second of it.

Cam's grandmother (aka Grams) showed upwardly unexpectedly and met Mitch and Lily for the first fourth dimension. She didn't sympathise or like Cam and Mitch's relationship and hated Mitchell. Grams didn't brand more appearances until her untimely expiry, which Mitch was later blamed for. Cameron was upset, of course, only was more than sad for his female parent.

4 Walt Kleezak

Walt Kleezak was introduced in the second flavour every bit the Dunphy's elderly and sick neighbor. They alluded to him being hateful and distant, so they always stayed away from him. But after the Dunphys lost their baseball in his yard, Luke went over to retrieve it and formed a kinship with Walt. Claire and Phil are wary of this new friendship only trust Luke.

Due to Walt's oxygen tank, information technology was obvious he had some serious health issues. And in "The Final Walt," the Dunphys found out Walt had a center attack and died. Claire and Phil tried to prep Luke for this start major death in his life but he didn't seem to bothered by it. He only wanted Walt'due south Idiot box...

iii DeDe Pritchett

DeDe Pritchett was Jay'due south first wife and the mother of Claire and Mitchell. DeDe wasn't the about hands-on mother and left the family unit subsequently their divorce. She was much closer to Mitchell, as she and Claire often butted heads, especially when it came to lifestyle choices. And while fans didn't come across DeDe all that much, she fabricated hilarious appearances over the years, often causing drama.

Shockingly, in the episode "Good Grief," while everyone is preparing for Halloween, the family is stunned when they find out DeDe died. She passed away peacefully in her sleep after suffering from a heart issue. The entire episode revolved effectually DeDe'south legacy and reminiscing on old times.

two Grace Dunphy

Grace Dunphy was Phil's loving mom. Unlike his father Frank, fans never saw Grace but they heard of her from all the stories Phil shared. In the episode "Goodnight Gracie," the Dunphy's are grief-stricken when Grace passed away. The unabridged family went downwards to Florida for the funeral where they had a very touching tribute that included fireworks. Seeing Phil and his begetter then shaken up was difficult for viewers. Phil and Frank are two of the well-nigh positive and optimistic characters in the serial, and so their grief was hard to carry.

i Frank Dunphy

The death of Frank Dunphy was by far the saddest expiry in the series. Frank and Phil had such a shut bond and shared so many similarities. Luckily for Phil, he has the aforementioned relationship with his son as he did with his dad.

Dissimilar DeDe and Grace, Frank fabricated multiple appearances throughout the show and left a shining lite on his family. Sadly, this meant Phil was the last remaining family unit member on his side. As an only child with both of his parents gone, all Phil could do was focus on his ain family.

NEXT: Modern Family: ten Things Fans Forgot About Phil Dunphy

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About The Author

Lynn Gibbs (1577 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the earth on the hunt for her side by side adventure with her husband. A lover of beingness outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she's not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or annihilation Bravo-related, Lynn'south your gal.

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