5. Aunt Jenna
Watching Klaus turn and then kill Aunt Jenna to unlock his werewolf side was such an emotional scene to watch for so many reasons. Jenna was completely innocent and had only just learned the truth about everything going on around her before she was brutally sacrificed, while Elena was forced to watch yet another one of her guardians die right before her eyes. Also, this murder was the catalyst of Klaus becoming the villain he is today, so The Originals can thank this brutal scene for creating a whole new spinoff series!
4. Alaric's final, vampire death
While not the most heartbreaking of Alaric's deaths (this poor guy's seen a lot of death), this one was the most shocking because we were getting two deaths for the price of one. Alaric's sudden death made everyone realize that Elena, whose life was tied to his, was also dying. And even though Original vampire Alaric was a villain, we thought we were losing Alaric for good, which was just…sob.
3. Jeremy's first death
This will go down as one of the most shocking deaths on The Vampire Diaries, because we never saw it coming! Who would have thought that Damon would actually snap Elena's little bro's neck?! Thankfully Jeremy had his magic ring on, but Damon didn't know that at the time, signaling just how far he'll go when he lashes out in his fits of rage.
2. Elena's final, human death
Would The Vampire Diaries really kill off the main character? Nope, we found out minutes after Elena drowned that she had vampire blood in her system, meaning she would wake up in transition, completely changing the show at its core in new and exciting ways. Watching Elena's human life end for good was heartbreaking...in a good way.
1. Alaric's final, human death
That perfect single man tear that ran down Alaric's face as he calmly waited to die with Damon by his side, sharing one last drink with him? No matter how many times we watch this scene, it never fails to make us bawl. "Be still, be still, be stillll..."