THE DECEASED: Vanessa Prentiss
WHAT A WAY TO GO: Meddling mother Vanessa had resorted to many underhanded measures over the years in her quest to end son Lance’s relationship with his beloved, Lorie. In 1981, when Vanessa was diagnosed with a terminal illness and told she had but a few short months to live, she saw an opportunity to ensure a Lorie-less future for her son, once and for all, by ending her own life and framing Lorie for the “murder”. Vanessa destroyed her medical records to conceal her diagnosis and composed a blackmail note on Lorie’s typewriter to incriminate her. Vanessa then lured Lorie out onto the balcony of her high-rise apartment building and, as Lorie watched in horror, Vanessa hurled herself over the railing, screaming for Lorie to get away from her to make it look like they’d been tussling, and plunged to her death. Lorie was subsequently arrested and put on trial for murder, but she was exonerated when Lance’s son, Brooks, revealed that he had seen Vanessa typing the damning letter, and Lance found his late mother’s medication, proving that she had known she was dying when she took her deadly plunge.
THE DECEASED: David Kimble
WHAT A WAY TO GO: To elude arrest for the murder of his ex-wife, Rebecca, David staged his death in 1991, but instead of skipping town, the cad continued with his efforts to get his hands on wife Nina’s fortune, though he had to pivot from his original strategy (inheriting her money after killing her) once Nina caught on to the true nature of the man she’d married. David tried to adopt a disguise by tasking a plastic surgeon with making him look like David Hasselhoff, but the doc got the last laugh by carving the word “KILLER” on his forehead instead. So, David returned to Genoa City having adopted the persona of “Jim Adams” (with copious amounts of makeup covering his forehead, newly gray hair and a fake Southern accent). Once Nina changed her will to make Florence and her husband the beneficiaries, David plotted to off Nina (as well as her BFF, Cricket, and Cricket’s hubby, Danny) during a masquerade gala. David’s former mistress, Diane, caught on to his plan and replaced the bullets in his gun with ones made out of wax, so his three targets were spared. With the cops in pursuit, David tried to flee via a garbage chute — and was promptly crushed to death by a trash compactor.
Photo credit: Kenneth Bank
THE DECEASED: Ryan McNeil
WHAT A WAY TO GO: Ryan’s tumultuous three-year marriage to mentally unstable Tricia ended in 2001, but she wasn’t ready to let go, even after he renewed his relationship with former wife Victoria. When Ryan and Vicky got engaged again, Tricia duped everyone into believing that she had left town and secretly purchased a replica of Victoria’s wedding dress. On the day of the nuptials, Tricia locked Victoria in a closet, then took her place at the altar beside Ryan. When the “bride’s” veil was pulled back, Ryan and the guests were aghast. Tricia took a gun out of her bouquet and forced everyone to vacate the church, with the exception of the groom. As Ryan tried to reason with his ex, Victoria (who had managed to escape) stormed into the church to aid him. Tricia pointed her gun at her rival and pulled the trigger, but Ryan jumped in front of Victoria and took the bullet meant for her. Ryan was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his wound.
THE DECEASED: Skye Lockhart Newman
WHAT A WAY TO GO: In 2010, a determined Sharon worked to track down Skye, who Adam had been accused of murdering. Convinced Skye was alive, Sharon did some sleuthing and discovered that a bottle of Skye’s hard-to-find perfume was being sent to a P.O. box in Hawaii, so she set out for the island and located the small general store where it was delivered, but no one would help her locate Skye. Sharon suspected that Skye went on a night hike to an active volcano that was popular with tourists and tagged along. While Skye stood captivated by the smoking crater, Sharon revealed herself and demanded that the “deceased” come back with her to Genoa City. When Skye refused, Sharon snapped a photo to prove that Skye was still among the living. Skye tried to grab the camera, a struggle ensued, and as the ground shook with seismic activity, Skye lost her balance and tumbled into the volcano, despite Sharon’s efforts to hang on to her. Eventually, Adam was cleared of the charges he faced.