Which Death in Paradise actors have died in real life?
Death in Paradise has been running since 2011 — fifteen series, well over 150 episodes, and hundreds of guest stars rotating through the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie.
Over that time, two actors with connections to the show have died in circumstances that attracted significant public attention.
Here's what's known, as of June 2026.
Larrington Walker — died on location in 2017
The most widely reported case. Walker, a Jamaican-born British actor, died on 3 September 2017 in Guadeloupe — the island where the show films. He was 71. The cause was natural causes, on a day off from shooting series 7, episode 7. He'd been cast as Samuel Palmer, that week's murderer.
His death mid-production forced a rewrite. The summation scene — normally staged as a gathering where the detective confronts the killer — had to be restructured. Instead, DI Mooney (Ardal O'Hanlon) works out the case before the police can reach the suspect, and it's revealed Palmer has fled the island.
The episode is dedicated to Walker. He had a long career across British theatre and television — Inspector Morse, The Bill, Human Traffic, and three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Adrian Schiller — died in 2024
Schiller appeared in two episodes as concert pianist Pasha Verdinikov. He died suddenly on 4 April 2024, aged 60. His agency, Scott Marshall Partners, described his death as "sudden and unexpected." He'd just returned from performing in The Lehman Trilogy in Sydney and was due to continue the tour in San Francisco.
His wider credits included The Last Kingdom, Victoria, and His Dark Materials — Death in Paradise was a small part of a substantial body of work.
Are all the main cast still alive?
Yes. Every lead detective — Ben Miller (series 1–3), Kris Marshall (series 3–6), Ardal O'Hanlon (series 6–9), Ralf Little (series 9–13), and current star Don Gilet (series 14–present) — is alive. The same goes for long-serving regulars Don Warrington, Danny John-Jules, Élizabeth Bourgine, and Joséphine Jobert.
With such a large rotating guest cast across fifteen series, other deaths may have occurred without widespread reporting. Walker and Schiller are the two most documented cases. The show continues to film on Guadeloupe, with Gilet's DI Mervin Wilson now firmly in the chair.