This article contains spoilers for all four Power Book shows. The Power Universe is well known for its unbelievable twists and turns, and the unexpected deaths of significant characters are often the biggest shocks of every series. With many characters who are as ruthless as they are compelling, no one is safe from being killed off at a moment’s notice. Loyalties and rivalries are taken seriously within the world of the show and crossing the wrong person can mean that a favorite character is gone forever.
It all started in 2014 with the premiere of the original series, Power, about the life of the successful businessman, and secret drug kingpin, James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick). From there, the spin-off shows, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force have all followed the origins or continuation of characters featured in Power. At the heart of every series is the struggle for dominance in a corrupt landscape, whether that be politics, drugs, business, or any other empire the characters get their hands on.
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10 Theo Rollins – Power Book II: Ghost (2020 – )
Commits Suicide in Season 3, Episode 8, “Sacrifice”
Though not the biggest player in Power Book II: Ghost, Theo (Jordan Mahone) makes a decision toward the end of season 3 that changes many lives. The brother of Davis MacLean (Method Man), Theo took the fall for a crime Davis committed many years ago and spent much of his life in prison because of this. However, once he is released and learns of Cooper Saxe’s (Shane Johnson) betrayal, he takes matters into his own hands. After avenging his brother and proving his loyalty one last time, Theo kills himself, ending his time in the series forever.
9 Cooper Saxe – Power Book II: Ghost
Killed by Theo Rollins in Season 3, Episode 8, “Sacrifice”
Before Theo ends his own life, his final act is to murder Cooper Saxe for what he did to Davis. Davis and Cooper were partners in their legal work, but in the end, Cooper’s corruption became Davis’ undoing. If Theo’s death was a shock, then his murder of Cooper was even more out of character. Cooper was a major player in the series, and taking him out means that Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) has one less enemy out to get him and that Davis can continue his rise to the top.
8 Shannon Burke – Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021 – )
Killed by Malcolm Howard in Season 3, Episode 1, “Home Sweet Home”
Raising Kanan is a prequel to Power that takes place in the 1990s in Queens, New York, exploring the upbringing of Kanan (Mekai Curtis), and how he came to be the fearsome figure of Power. Two of the bigger players who come up against Kanan and his mother, Raq (Patina Miller), are police officers Shannon Burke (Shanley Caswell) and Malcolm Howard (Omar Epps). It’s not so much that Shannon was killed, but how it happened. As Howard had become involved in increasingly corrupt dealings, and she had been investigating, it’s at his hand that her life ends in season 3.
7 Holly Weaver – Power (2014 – 2020)
Killed by Tommy Eagan in Season 3, Episode 5, “Help Me”
Holly (Lucy Walters) and Tommy (Joseph Sikora) never had the easiest relationship during their time together on the show, and even if the outcome of his actions were unintentional, it doesn’t change that he is an abusive man who murdered her. In a moment of uncontrollable rage, because he found out that Holly tried to have his partner, Ghost, killed, he attacks her, not knowing that she was pregnant with his child at the time. Though Holly wasn’t a fan-favorite character, she deserved much better than this gruesome end.
6 Kadeem “Unique” Mathis – Power Book III: Raising Kanan
Killed by Ronnie Mathis in Season 3, Episode 5, “Brothers and Keepers”
One of the best Power characters who could carry his own spin-off, Unique (Joey Bada$$) was a rival of Raq on Raising Kanan for a long time before he became one of her primary love interests. However, the power struggle between him and his brother, Ronnie (Grantham Coleman), becomes too much to bear after Ronnie is released from prison and wants to take control of the business from Unique. While Unique was looking forward to sharing the burden with his brother, those feelings were not returned, and Ronnie killed him in cold blood.
5 Liliana – Power Book IV: Force (2022 – )
Killed by Claudia Flynn in Season 1, Episode 10, “Family Business”
Liliana (Audrey Esparza) has never had good luck on the Power shows, making a brief appearance at the beginning of Power and then returning to Power Book IV: Force, only to meet her end. She is killed by Claudia Flynn (Lili Simmons), the daughter of one of Tommy’s enemies, but she gets involved with Tommy and Liliana when she wants to assert herself as a player in the drug world. However, at the end of season 1, she shoots Liliana, and though it wasn’t completely on purpose, Tommy vows revenge, and doesn’t stop until he gets it.
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4 Shawn Stark – Power
Killed by Kanan Stark in Season 2, Episode 9, “Time’s Up”
One of the saddest deaths in the series is the murder of Shawn (Sinqua Walls) by his father, Kanan (50 Cent). Though Kanan has proved himself to be ruthless, killing his son was the last taboo anyone thought he would break. Kanan’s only goal in life was to hurt Ghost and when Shawn couldn’t bring himself to kill Ghost at his instruction, Kanan retaliated in the worst way possible. In doing this, Kanan knew that he would also be hurting Ghost. Using his son as a pawn and feeling no remorse for his death is a defining moment for Kanan.
3 LaVerne “Jukebox” Ganner – Power
Killed by Kanan Stark in Season 4, Episode 6, “New Man”
In some ways, Kanan’s cousin, Jukebox, is as cruel as he is. She doesn’t flinch when he kills his own son and stands by him in the fight against Ghost while committing some terrible acts herself. However, after seeing how connected they were as children, shown in Raising Kanan which has been renewed for a fourth season, the way their relationship ends in Power is all the more shocking. In a moment of stunning betrayal, he kills Jukebox during a struggle between the two of them, Ghost, and Tariq, which ends with Kanan shooting Jukebox despite his animosity toward Ghost.
2 LaKeisha Grant – Power
Killed by Tasha St. Patrick in Season 6, Episode 8, “Deal With The Devil”
LaKeisha’s (La La Anthony) fate in Power is proof that no woman who gets involved with Tommy is safe. It’s not Tommy who ends up taking LaKeisha’s life, but Tasha (Naturi Naughton), Ghost’s wife, who was once extremely close to LaKeisha. Watching the two women go from best friends to bitter enemies was one of the hardest parts of the show, and having their relationship end this way confirms how much Tasha’s capable of. It’s especially sad because of how ready she and Tommy were to commit to each other, and her son who has been left orphaned.
1 James “Ghost” St. Patrick – Power
Killed by Tariq St. Patrick in Season 6, Episode 15, “Exactly How We Planned”
Why Tariq killed Ghost at the end of Power, his own father, is a question that has plagued viewers since the conclusion of the series. Ghost’s death is unsurprising, as it was always a likely way for the narrative to end, but the show gave viewers enough hope to believe that maybe he could turn things around. Additionally, the bitter truth is that Tariq feels too betrayed by his father to trust him and that, given the chance, Ghost probably would’ve turned on Tariq just as quickly.
