Once This Is Us revealed that Milo Ventimiglia's Jack Pearson was dead in the present timeline, it was only a matter of time before viewers learned the details surrounding his death, and one season 2 episode held all the answers. The NBC drama television series premiered on September 20, 2016, and was an immediate hit, thanks to its nonlinear storytelling, well-crafted twists, excellent performances, and pathos. While the show evoked many emotions over the course of its six-season run, one of the most heartbreaking and mysterious storylines revolved around Jack's death since he was a beloved and significant character.

The series premiere's ending revealed that Kevin, Kate, and Randall were Jack and Rebecca's kids. But beforehand, the episode made the audience believe that Rebecca giving birth and the Big Three celebrating their 36th birthday were happening during the same time period. Viewers may have thought nothing else could shock them more following the pilot. However, the second episode disclosed that Rebecca was married to Jack's best friend, Miguel, in the present timeline, and a few episodes later, fans learned that Jack had died. Unfortunately, viewers would have to wait until season 2 to discover how and when the patriarch of the Pearson family died.

Jack Has A Heart Attack In This Is Us Season 2, Episode 14

His Death Was Forecast Earlier In The Series

This Is Us season 2, episode 14, "Super Bowl Sunday," premiered following Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, and the hour finally gave (for better or for worse) fans what they so desperately wanted — the truth behind Jack's death.

The circumstances surrounding the tragedy had been teased in the episodes leading up to it, but the hour laid it all out there. A faulty slow cooker caught on fire at the end of episode 13, and the next episode picked up right where the previous one left off, with the Pearson family's home ablaze the night of Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998.

Jack got everyone (and the dog and family mementos) out of the house, including Rebecca, Kate, and Randall, when they woke up to their house on fire —Kevin wasn't home at the time. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but there was nothing they could do, and the structure was utterly destroyed. While Rebecca, Kate, and Randall were fine, the paramedics recommended that Jack go to the hospital to get checked out because he had inhaled a lot of smoke. Jack and Rebecca obliged, while Kate and Randall stayed with Miguel.

While they were at the hospital, Jack was treated for his burns, and the doctors planned on running some tests on him. But when Rebecca stepped out of the room to make some calls and get snacks from the vending machine, Jack had a heart attack due to smoke inhalation, and they couldn't save him. The doctor informed Rebecca, and she didn't believe him until she saw her husband's dead body lying on the hospital bed. This scene was undoubtedly one of the most harrowing moments in This Is Us, and Jack's death completely changed the other characters' lives.

How Old Jack Pearson Was When He Died

Jack Died In 1998

The Pearson family's home burned down the night of Super Bowl XXXII, which took place on January 25, 1998. By the time Jack and Rebecca got to the hospital and Jack died, though, it was the following day. Since Milo Ventimiglia's character was born on August 31, 1944, he was 53 years old at the time of his death.

The Big Three were seniors in high school and had many plans for what they would do after graduation. But their father's death changed everything, as seen in the episodes following This Is Us season 2, episode 14, and the show's present timeline.

How Milo Ventimiglia Remained A Core Character In This Is Us Despite His Death

Even though Jack died in This Is Us season 2, episode 14, Milo Ventimiglia was still an integral cast member and had a significant role in the series. The NBC drama didn't follow a linear path, meaning it often jumped around in time (including the past, present, and future) to tell the Pearson family's story.

By the time the series showed Jack's death, a lot was still unknown about his past, like his time in Vietnam and what happened to his mother. As a result, This Is Us was able to keep Jack as a core character, and Ventimiglia remained a series regular until the final season.

How Jack's Death Was Handled Compared To Other This Is Us Deaths

Jack’s Death Was A Known Tragedy

The show handled death in a very realistic way...

Though This Is Us did not follow a linear path in its storytelling, many of its character deaths were surprising ones for the audience as the timeline jumped around. Jack’s, however, was one that viewers anticipated and knew to watch out for from very early on in the show. That anticipation of his character meeting his end fed into the tragedy of it because the way he died was still so surprising for the audience.

This Is Us did a great job at making every single death in the show impactful for the audience, and not just used for shock value, even when they were surprising. Deaths in the series did not just happen in one episode and get swept under the rug the next. The characters grieved, they experienced trauma, and the deaths of those they cared about changed how they lived their lives. The show handled death in a very realistic way, and that’s also true of Jack’s demise in the series.

Though the deaths in the series are all handled with the same attention to detail and storytelling care, Jack’s death is arguably the most devastating. Because of the nonlinear nature of the show, Jack and Rebecca are the characters the audience really gets to know best before their deaths are revealed, making them all the more heartbreaking. This Is Us did a great job at both showcasing the love of family and the heartbreak through Jack.