Who was the first major character on a TV show to die in 1956?

[Did you know...] ... the first time a major character in a television show "died" was in 1956? Actress Jean Hagen (1923-1977) became unhappy in her role on the situation comedy "Make Room For Daddy," which ran from 1953 to 1964. The show's producers were worried about how to deal with Hagen's departure, but they didn't want to end the show. So they decided to have her character "die" off-screen during the break between seasons. Divorce was not an option for television in that day and age. Star Danny Thomas (1912-1991) was concerned that the show would fail without Hagen's character, but audiences became sympathetic to his character as a widower, and his character would re-marry in a year or so. The show was renamed The Danny Thomas Show following Hagen's departure. (Thus proving that no one is irreplaceable - not even me.)