Anyone Can Die in the ruthless fantasy universe of George R. R. Martin, and fathers and/or mothers often find themselves outliving some or all of their offspring in it.
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- Mors "Crowfood" Umber lost his two sons at the Battle of the Trident fifteen years before the series began, while his only daughter was kidnapped by a wildling several years later and has never been seen since. This has given him an everlasting hatred of all wildlings.
- Lady Donella Hornwood loses both her husband, Halys, and her only son, Daryn, to the War of the Five Kings.
- Ser Davos Seaworth loses his four eldest sons, Dale, Allard, Matthos, and Maric, at the Battle of the Blackwater. He is crushed by their loss and extremely tempted to just go home, forget about the war, and spend the rest of his life with his wife, Marya, and remaining three sons, Devan, Stannis, and Steffon, but decides to stick with Stannis Baratheon out of loyalty. He is somewhat comforted by the fact that at least Stannis and Steffon are at home and away from the fighting.
- Lord Rodrik Harlaw lost his two sons during Balon Greyjoy's first rebellion, which makes him opposed to the new one that Balon begins during the War of the Five Kings.
- Rodrik's sister and Balon's wife Alannys also suffers from this, losing her two eldest sons, Rodrik and Marlon, in the rebellion, and her third son, Theon, is taken as a ward/hostage to Winterfell. She only has her daughter Asha left to comfort her, but goes mad with grief, looking desperately all over the castle for her deceased sons. She eventually isolates herself in the Widow's Tower on the island of Harlaw.
- The Red Wedding causes quite a bit of parents to outlive their children:
- Catelyn Stark believes that she has outlived (for a given definition of "live") most if not all of her children by the end of the third book, after Robb is killed. So far, only Robb is dead.
- Wyman Manderly outlives his younger son, Wendel.
- Maege Mormont outlives her eldest daughter, Dacey.
- Tytos Blackwood outlives his second son, Lucas. He later loses his youngest son, Robert, to diarrhea.
- Lyessa Flint outlives her only son, Robin.
- Greatjon Umber outlives his son Smalljon.
- Ondrew Locke outlives his son Donnel. His other son, a member of the Night's Watch named Mallador, dies during a ranging beyond the Wall the same year.
- Walder Frey himself loses his sixteenth son, Benfrey, who is mortally injured by Dacey Mormont. His fourth son, Jared, loses his son, Tytos, who is killed by Sandor Clegane as he escapes from the area. Jared is later presumed killed and turned into Wyman Manderly's "pies", as revenge for the Red Wedding.
- Other than Benfrey and Jared, Walder Frey has lost five other children (Stevron, Aenys, Symond, Merrett, and Geremy), out of a total of 28 legitimate children and more than seven bastards.
- Cersei Lannister has spent most of her life fearing a prophecy stating that, among other things, all of her children will be crowned and die with gold shrouds. She has interpreted this to mean that she will outlive all of her children. She's already seen Joffrey die painfully from poison right in front of her eyes, and she later has a breakdown when she thinks Tommen has been poisoned as well.
- "Bronze" Yohn Royce loses two of his three sons over the course of the books; his youngest son Waymar is the first person killed in the entire series (the first of a very long list) while his second son Robar is killed in service to Renly Baratheon.
- Roose Bolton has lost all his legitimate children by the time the series begins. The only one to survive infancy was Domeric, who died two years previously, and it's heavily implied that Roose's illegitimate son Ramsay committed the murder.
- Rodrik Cassel has had four daughters; all but one, Beth, are dead by the beginning of the series presumably of illness.
- Old Nan is stated to have outlived all of her children. Her grandchildren are only said to have moved away, but as there is some evidence that she is over a hundred years old they likely aren't alive either. The only one still around in any capacity is Hodor.
- Maester Aemon had no children of his own, but over the course of his one hundred and two years, he outlived four nephews (Maegor, Duncan, Jaehaerys II, and Daeron), three nieces (Vaella, Shaera, and Rhaelle), two great-nephews (Aerys II and Steffon Baratheon), a great-niece (Rhaella), seven great-great nephews (Rhaegar, Daeron, Aegon, Jaehaerys, Viserys, and Robert and Renly Baratheon), at least four great-great-great-nieces (Rhaenys, and three bastard daughters of Robert Baratheon, including Barra), and at least one great-great-great-nephew (Aegon). He is topped off by Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, who is his (you read it right) great uncle, meaning he not only outlived all of the people mentioned, including Aemon himself, but more than a dozen other legitimate Targaryens descended from his half-brother Daeron II, all male-line Blackfyres from his half-brother Daemon, as well as dead Martells descended from his half-sister Daenerys.
- Then there was poor Elia Martell, who had to watch both of her young children, Rhaenys and Aegon, butchered before her eyes before she was raped and killed by Gregor Clegane. While his hands were coated with Aegon's blood, no less. A Dance with Dragons reveals that Aegon was switched with another baby and still lives, though.
- Doran Martell's mother gave birth to two sons, Mors and Olyvar, who died in the cradle, causing Doran to spend eight years as an only child until his sister, Elia, was born. Doran himself ends up suffering this fate when his second child Quentyn is roasted to death attempting to steal Daenerys' dragons.
- Rickard Karstark outlives two of his sons, Eddard and Torrhen, who die in service to Robb Stark.
- Out of Catelyn Stark's four brothers, three died in infancy, predeceasing their father, Hoster Tully, by many years.
- Victarion Greyjoy's only known offspring was a stillborn daughter.
- Among the Targaryen ancestors:
- All of Maegor I's offspring were stillborn monstrosities.
- Aenys I's youngest child, Vaella, died shortly after birth. His wife, Alyssa Velaryon, who outlived him by twelve years, lost two more children, Aegon and Viserys, who became victims of Maegor I's cruelties.
- Aenys I's eldest daughter, Rhaena, lost her daughter Aerea in a horrific accident that people still can't quite explain, though supposedly involving a curse originating from the Targaryens' ancestral home, Valyria. It's just one of the myriad unfortunate things happening in her sad life.
- Jaehaerys the Conciliator outlived eleven of his thirteen children. Three (Aegon, Gaemon, and Valerion) died in infancy, two (Daella and Alyssa) in childbirth, one (Gael) committed suicide, one (Daenerys) died of a shivering sickness, one (Maegelle) of Grayscale, one (Aemon) in battle, one (Viserra) in a horse racing accident, and one (Baelon) of a sudden attack of appendicitis. This, combined with his estrangement from his two living children, Vaegon and Saera, and the deaths of his wife, Alysanne (who outlived ten of their children herself), and long-time friend Septon Barth, led to him developing dementia in his late sixties and dying at sixty-nine.
- Baelon the Brave outlived his third son, Aegon. His firstborn, Viserys I, outlived two sons, including one named after his father, both of whom died in the cradle. The younger Baelon's death was mocked by his uncle Daemon, who jested about him being the "heir for a day", convincing Viserys to disinherit him in favor of his daughter Rhaenyra.
- Rhaenyra outlived her sons Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey, all of whom died during the Dance of the Dragons. She also gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Visenya, which she attributed to shock at hearing that Aegon II had conspired to disinherit her as Queen. To top it off, she died thinking that her youngest son, Viserys, was dead (he was actually taken to Essos, and would ultimately vindicate his mother by being the one to continue the Targaryen line).
- Aegon II's sons, Jaehaerys and Maelor, both perished during the Dance of the Dragons Civil War while Aegon II himself survived the war but was assassinated shortly afterwards.
- Aegon's mother Queen Alicent Hightower outlived all her children, including Aegon II; her daughter Helaena fell out of a window under suspicious circumstances, while her sons Aemond and Daeron were killed in battle.
- Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen outlived their children, Laenor and Laena, who died in the years leading up to the Dance, albeit for reasons unrelated to it.
- Daeron II lost his eldest son Baelor Breakspear to a freak accident in a Trial by Seven before his own death in the Great Spring Sickness, which also killed two of his grandchildren, Valarr and Matarys.
- Maekar I outlived his two eldest sons; Daeron died of a pox and Aerion drank a pot of wildfire while drunk, the latter happening a year before Maekar's death in 233 AC, triggering a Succession Crisis.
- Aegon V's son Daeron was killed in battle in 251 AC, eight years before Aegon's death in the Tragedy at Summerhall.
- Aerys II, the last Targaryen monarch, outlived many children who died in infancy as well as his oldest son Rhaegar-albeit only by a few weeks. His wife Rhaella lived only a few months longer.
- Daemon I Blackfyre's twin sons Aegon and Aemon predeceased their mother, Rohanne of Tyrosh, as she was still alive when their younger brother, Daemon II, was captured by Brynden Rivers, sixteen years after the twins' deaths during the First Blackfyre Rebellion. In fact, there is a possibility that Rohanne outlived all of her sons, as their deaths are described in detail but she is not mentioned again.
- Alaric Stark, the head of House Stark during the early reign of Jaehaerys I, outlived his two sons, causing the lordship to pass to his grandson, Edric, after his death.
- Cregan "the Wolf of the North" Stark had a younger brother who predeceased their father, Rickon.
Game of Thrones
Tropes A | Tropes B | Tropes C to D | Tropes E to F | Tropes G to K | Tropes L to O | Tropes P to S | Tropes T to Z
- Know how Cersei's mentioned up in Literature? Since Game of Thrones overtook the books all three of her and Jaime's children are dead. Joffrey died the same was he did in the books, while Myrcella was poisoned by Ellaria out of Revenge by Proxy for the Lannisters' role in the death of her lover. Poor Jaime was by both their sides as they died, but powerless to do anything about it. Tommen killed himself after he realized he was little more than Cersei's puppet, and after Cersei blew up the Sept of Baelor while his wife (whom he genuinely loved) was inside while Jaime was out of King's Landing. What's worse is that Cersei doesn't even seem to care anymore: she was upset but not very surprised at Myrcella's death, and she was rather callous when Tommen died, coldly telling Qyburn to burn and bury him before claiming his throne for herself.
- That wife, by the way, was Margaery Tyrell, and that explosion also took out her father and brother, meaning Olenna Tyrell lost her son and her grandchildren in that explosion.
- Cersei also got revenge on Ellaria Sand by poisoning her daughter Tyene in front of her and ensuring that she'll be Forced to Watch her die and see her body slowly decay.
- Catelyn Stark dies after Robb and she also believes Bran and Rickon are dead.
- Robb Stark dies after witnessing his pregnant wife repeatedly stabbed to death.
- Unlike in the books, where Davos had seven children, in the show, Matthos is an only child, adding more drama to his demise.
- The death of Rickard Karstark's two sons at Jaime's hands are the main driving force of his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Lannisters.
- Howland Reed, after Jojen dies in the Season 4 finale.
- Wyman Manderly's son and heir was butchered at the Red Wedding.
- Daenerys had a stillborn son with Khal Drogo. Later she is Forced to Watch as Viserion, one of her beloved Dragons whom she considers a son, is killed by the Night King. And near the Grand Finale, she witnesses Rhaegal being killed by ballista bolts from the Iron Fleet.
- Three of Stannis and Selyse's children are stillborn, while they willingly sacrifice Shireen during the penultimate episode of Season 5.
- Balon's two eldest sons were killed during the Greyjoy Rebellion. This made Theon his heir by default.
- Robert Baratheon's only child with Cersei, "a little black-haired beauty," died of a fever while he was still an infant.
- Kevan Lannister loses his two younger sons at the hands of Rickard Karstark in Season 3. He also outlives his eldest son Lancel when he's at ground zero of the wildfire explosion in Season 6, if only by scant seconds before he's blown up as well.
- Right before his execution, Othell Yarwyck mentions his mother is still alive living in White Harbor.
House of the Dragon
- King Jaehaerys I outlived his two sons and one-time heirs Aemon (father of Rhaenys) and Baelon (father of Viserys and Daemon). Baelon's death was the reason why a Great Council was called to settle the Succession Crisis in the prologue.From the books
- King Viserys and his consort Aemma repeatedly failed to secure a male heir to the Iron Throne because all of their children, barring Rhaenyra, were stillborn or died in infancy. The last attempt happens in the first episode, where Aemma undergoes a fatal procedure to deliver Prince Baelon, who is born alive but dies several hours later.
- Throughout the first season, Rhaenys and Corlys Velaryon outlive their daughter, Laena, and are made to think that they also outlive their son, Laenor, who is secretly smuggled off to Essos to make way for Rhaenyra to wed her uncle Daemon.
- In the first season finale, not only does Rhaenyra give birth to a stillborn child, but she also loses her second son, Lucerys, who is accidentally killed off when Aemond Targaryen's gigantic dragon Vhagar swallows him. The latter death is the trigger to the Civil War known as the Dance of Dragons.
