Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has said he’d work with Johnny Lewis again “in a heartbeat” — Johnny’s character, “Half-Sack,” was killed off on the second season finale — but sadly, it doesn’t look like he’ll get that opportunity. TMZ reports that 28-year-old Johnny was found dead Sept. 26 in a driveway in Los Angeles, and authorities suspect he could be connected to the death of a 70-year-old woman inside the house.

After being written off Sons of Anarchy, Johnny went on to act in several films, including Kristen Stewart‘s The Runaways. Prior to his work on Sons, Johnny had recurred on The O.C. as Dennis “Chili” Childress.

Johnny also dated Katy Perry from 2005 to 2006.

— Andy Swift

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TMZ

More Sons of Anarchy-related news:

1. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Creator Kurt Sutter Defends ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Death
2. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Shocker: Which Major Character Was Killed Off?

If you still haven’t recovered from last night’s shocking Sons of Anarchy death, you’re not alone. Fans have been tweeting their anger, confusion and sadness to creator Kurt Sutter all day — but during a conference call with reporters Sept. 26, the showrunner justified his “gut-wrenching” decision: “It’s not a death that will happen in vain.”

Kurt explained that Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) death was a necessary event, one that will instill a sense of duty and purpose in the show’s “hero,” Jax (Charlie Hunnam).

“This is the first [season] I’ve had to think about the end game, and knowing where I wanted to get my hero and knowing how I wanted to get there, the road I wanted him to travel,” Kurt said. “Jax needed that emotional upheaval, that one event that happens in a mans life that can change the course of his destiny — the death of his best friend was [that].”

Kurt also noted that, although Ryan initially struggled to accept his character’s fate, he eventually realized “the importance of it in the mythology of the show.”

“It’s a difficult thing,” Kurt admitted. “[Ryan] is very plugged into the show and loves the character, and Ryan is a super-sensitive dude, so it was difficult for both of us to figure out how to do this.”

You’re probably still bummed about Opie’s death, but do you feel better after reading Kurt’s explanation? Drop us a comment with your (new) thoughts on the show’s tragic loss.

— Andy Swift

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More Sons of Anarchy on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Shocker: Which Major Character Was Killed Off?

Wondering why Kurt Sutter was trending on Twitter last  night? It might have something to do with the fact that the Sons of Anarchy creator decided to suddenly kill off one of the show’s most beloved characters — and fans were not happy about it. So which biker bit the bullet on the Sept. 25 episode? Drumroll please…

Opie (Ryan Hurst)!

Here’s how he met his tragic end: Pope (Harold Perrineau) worked out a deal with Jax (Charlie Hunnam), forcing him choose which of the Sons would enter a behind-bars death match. Ever the valiant hero, Opie decided to attack one of the prison guards, essentially volunteering himself to fight. Though he gave it his all, and seemed to stand a pretty good chance, he was eventually beaten to death by a lead pipe. (For a more in-depth analysis of last night’s episode, check out the recap on HollywoodLife.com‘s sister site TVLine.)

As you might imagine, fans immediately took to Twitter to express their outrage:

“@sutterink i absolutely hate you,” tweeted user @dmpullen.

“@sutterink DAMN YOU!” added @WaltonsCastro.

Even Avenged Sevenfold drummer Mike Portnoy joined the mob: ”I cannot believe what I just watched…why @sutterink why????????”

UPDATE: Kurt spoke with reporters Sept. 26, explaining why he decided to kill Opie.

Were you shocked by Opie’s sudden death? Do you think it was a huge mistake, or will it make for good drama moving forward? Drop us a comment with your thoughts on the dearly departed.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

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