Summary

• Fans are anticipating George Cooper's tragic death in Young Sheldon's final season, based on foreshadowing and canon references from previous seasons.
• Young Sheldon hinted at George's death through Missy's comments and potential cheating scandal, leading viewers to expect a heartbreaking storyline soon.
• Despite speculation about how George's death will be portrayed, some fans predict it may be alluded to through a subtle voiceover or reference in the show's finale.

Fans of the CBS comedy Young Sheldon have known a family tragedy was coming to the Coopers, and it seems it's only getting close. Young Sheldon teased early on that George died when Sheldon was young, and it was further hinted at throughout the sitcom's sixth season.

Fans of The Big Bang Theory will know that Sheldon's father passed away when Sheldon was in his youth. In Season 7, Episode 9 of The Big Bang Theory, titled "The Thanksgiving Decoupling," Sheldon has a rare moment of vulnerability. The genius confesses to Bernadette's father that his own father, George Sr., played by Lance Barber in Young Sheldon, died when he was just 14 years old, and he never got to share a beer with him.

In season 4 of the comedy prequel, adult Sheldon's voiceover sadly acknowledges his father's death. The moment, voiced by Jim Parsons, followed a family dinner where Dr. Sturgis and preteen Sheldon spoke about alternate universes. “We often regret the things we don’t say,” Parsons’ omniscient narrator mused. “There’s a lot of things I wish I had said to my dad while he was around — that I appreciated him, that I loved him — which is why I am grateful for the times I did tell him how I felt.”

In the following, we take a look at how Young Sheldon's George Cooper death may have been foreshadowed several times and why it is a storyline that needs to happen.

George Cooper's Death Foreshadowed After Missy Steals His Truck In Season 6 Of Young Sheldon

In episode 16 of season 6, Sheldon's sister, played by Raegan Revord, Missy and her friend Paige steal George Sr.'s truck and take it for a joyride. The police eventually pull them over, and their parents are called.

On the drive to collect their daughters, Paige's mom offers some opinions on George and Mary Cooper's struggling marriage. She encourages the couple not to bottle up their feelings, because she believes that is why she split from her husband. The Coopers announce that they are not getting divorced and believe they have a better handle on their marriage than Paige's parents, Barry and Linda.

George morbidly announces that the couple will get divorced "over my dead body." To which Mary responded, "Yeah, that’s exactly how it’s going to end."

The idea that Mary and George will only split if one dies foreshadows the patriarch's death.

Missy Questions The Health Of Her Parents During Young Sheldon Season 6

In season 6 of Young Sheldon, Mary Cooper is starting to lighten up and experiment after being exiled from the church. She starts drinking and reading romance novels, generally acting more laid back. Fans suspect that George Cooper's untimely death will cause Mary to become the neurotic adult we see in later episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

In Young Sheldon season 6, episode 5, “A Resident Advisor and the Word Sketchy," Missy foreshadows George's death with a comment about her parents. Sheldon's sister is unhappy with her parent's romantic behavior over breakfast. Missy demands to know why her parents were so suddenly affectionate, asking whether one of them was sick in a line foreshadowing his death.

The Cheating Scandal Might Foreshadow George's Death

Because of comments made by Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, we know that his father, George, died when he was about 14. He also speaks about his father dying not long after having an affair. Adult Sheldon explains that he walked in on his father with another woman, and that’s why he always knocks three times.

George has yet to have an explicit affair in Young Sheldon, but this may not be the first time the show has deviated from Sheldon Cooper's childhood anecdotes in The Big Bang Theory. The show appears to float the idea that George had a secret affair with the Cooper's neighbor, Brenda, but there is never any confirmation of this narrative on the show. If the plot appears in season 7, with Mary finding out about the affair, it won't come as a shock to viewers.

In season 5, there are some hints that Mary and George Cooper's marriage is struggling. In the eighth episode, Sheldon talks with his dad about how East Texas Tech's president bluffed about there being a Grand Chancellor. George tries to teach Sheldon a lesson about lying being acceptable if you want to spare someone's feelings. It shows that George could have a lapse in loyalty and try to cover it up.

In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon and Mary have negative feelings toward the late George. Considering how lovable George is in Young Sheldon, fans wonder if the last season will depict his affair.

Why Fans Think George Cooper Dies In Season 7 Of Young Sheldon

Due to comments made in The Big Bang Theory and the six previous seasons of Young Sheldon. Fans are expecting the patriarch to heartbreakingly die during the seventh and last season of Young Sheldon.

According to Sheldon's anecdotes about his life in The Big Bang Theory, the scientist only has one more year left in Texas before he moves to Pasadena to attend Caltech. Canon also tells audiences that Sheldon gets accepted into Caltech at 14. In season 6 of Young Sheldon, Missy and Sheldon are 13.

Season 6 is set in 1993, confirming Sheldon's age. In season six, Sheldon can be seen watching the premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This opening episode first aired on TV in January 3, 1993, a month before Sheldon and Missy's 14th birthday.

Aside from George Cooper's cheating, a few stories still need to happen before George Cooper's unexpected death in Young Sheldon. Adult Sheldon tells stories about catching George stealing money from his employer (which could be Dale if he keeps his part-time job). Sheldon also shares that his father broke his clavicle after accidentally tripping on a staircase experiment. Audiences are yet to see these play out on screen.

Fans think that if George's death doesn't play out on-screen, it will be mentioned in a more subtle way. “I think it will be a voiceover by Sheldon at the end of the series. I don’t think we’ll actually see his death,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

Another mused: “I think it’s going to end like the Wonder Years, Sheldon will mention it in the last episode."