The Tragic Death That Changed ‘The Waltons’ Forever

THE WALTONS, from left: Will Geer, Ellen Corby, 1972-81. — Everett Collection

For fans of The Waltons, few episodes resonate as deeply as the Season 7 premiere, titled “The Empty Nest,” in which the Walton family says farewell to their beloved patriarch, Grandpa Zeb Walton. But the mourning you saw on screen wasn’t just fiction; Will Geer, the warm-hearted actor who embodied the elder Walton through Seasons 1–6, passed away from respiratory failure on April 22, 1978, at the age of 76.

His death came shortly after filming wrapped on Season 6, and followed the earlier absence of Ellen Corby (Grandma Esther) due to a debilitating stroke. The show’s creators chose not to recast the role, instead writing Geer’s passing into the storyline, allowing the characters and the audience to grieve together in a heartfelt episode.

THE WALTONS, top, from left: Eric Scott, Jon Walmsley, Richard Thomas, Will Geer, Ellen Corby, middle row, from left: Kami Cotler, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, bottom, from left: David W. Harper, Judy Norton-Taylor, Mary Beth McDonough, (1970s), 1971-1981

TV Guide/CBS/Everett Collection

The episode, which originally aired on September 21, 1978, opens with the Waltons gathered at Grandpa’s grave, a scene that sets a tone of quiet reverence. While the episode marks a profound loss, the story is also a celebration of the man who anchored the family, as each character copes with his death differently.

John Sr. struggles to fill the professional and personal void left by his father’s absence, while Mary Ellen and Erin face the challenge of building new lives as they move into an apartment together in Charlottesville. During the episode, it is revealed their neighbor, Flossie Brimmer, also died, contributing to the sadness of the episode (the actress who played Flossie, Nora Marlowe, had also passed in real life).

THE WALTONS, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, 1972-1981

Everett Collection

It is revealed that Grandpa died six months earlier while planting tree seedlings on Walton’s Mountain, a detail that reflects his enduring love for the land. His gravestone, marked simply with “Zebulon Walton 1865–1941,” serves as a lasting tribute to a life rooted in family and nature, as viewers cried alongside the Walton family during the touching episode.

Judy Norton, who played Mary Ellen, revealed in a 2021 behind-the-scenes video that the cast experience Geer’s death as “a complete shock … we didn’t know he was ill.” “It was quite a devastating loss,” Norton recalled, but the episode “gave us all an opportunity … as characters and as cast members to pay tribute to him on camera.”