Blame Friends’ Producers For Everyone’s Favorite Side Character’s Death
He could have a cat!
Friends gave us many memorable side characters that we now can’t imagine not being there. Sometimes they served as a plot device, sometimes they were there for comic relief, but there were some that were actually pivotal to the characters' growth.
One of the most popular characters was Mr. Heckles, the old man who lived under Monica and Rachel's apartment. He first appeared on the show in season 1 and immediately became a fan favorite. Portrayed by Larry Hankin, he always got laughs when he was on screen.
His first arc was the one where he claimed the lost cat was his and tried to convince the girls to give him the animal who clearly wanted nothing to do with him. Since then, he appeared in a handful of episodes, always stealing the spotlight, until he was suddenly killed off.
The character's departure from the show came as a shock to the actor. When he got the call from his agent that the Friends creators needed him on set, he never thought it would be his last appearance.
Hankin was so angry that he confronted the producers, yelling, "What have you done?" Still, it didn't help him extend the character's time on the show. Fans are still unhappy with the writers' decision, feeling that Mr. Heckles could have brought many more iconic scenes to the show.
The reason he was killed off may have been because he became really popular after his appearances on Friends and was on his way to becoming a recurring character, and it means he would have gotten a bigger paycheck, which probably wasn't good news for the producers.
Mr. Heckles’ heart attack and sudden death were used by showrunners as a plot device to help Chandler become more mature.
While digging through Mr. Heckles' belongings, Chandler discovers that the two have a lot in common, including a weird sense of humor and a superficially picky attitude about dating women. It was then that he realized it was time to grow up or he would just end up like his neighbor, angry, sad, and lonely.
Source: Cracked