Bridgerton season 4's heartbreaking death was explained better in the books

Bridgerton season 4 is now streaming in its entirety on Netflix following the release of part 2 on February 26, and the final four episodes of the season certainly packed quite an emotional gut punch. 

If you by chance haven’t yet watched Bridgerton season 4, part 2 yet on Netflix, the headline alone should have given you an indication that there are major spoilers ahead. But before we get into the spoilers, let me give you one final spoiler alert as there is nothing worse than a major moment being ruined before you watch. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… 

Heading into the second part of the season, we knew that there would be a major death which would impact the Bridgerton family. Photos had leaked of the various Bridgerton family members wearing all black ensembles, which was something families would do in that era to indicate that they were in a period of mourning. When these photos hit, we immediately knew a big death was coming with our attention focusing on three particular characters: King George III, John Stirling, and Marina Thompson. 

In episode 6, we come to learn that it was sadly John who was marked for death. 

Late in the episode, John excuses himself to lie down for a nap after having completed a puzzle with Francesca and Michaela. As he steps away, he mentions having a headache and asks Francesca to wake him for dinner. Sadly, when Francesca goes to wake him, she immediately notices something is wrong. He won’t wake up. Francesca screams out as Michaela hears it and runs after her, with John’s death officially confirmed at the top of episode 7. 

When He Was Wicked holds the clue to how John died in Bridgerton

In the show, Bridgerton fails to give fans a definitive answer as to how John died. There is no mention of some ailment taking his life or follow-up about his headache hinting at the cause of his death. The show just moves through the motions with a funeral, wake, and later a celebration of life. This creates a lot of confusion among those who have not read the books and are only fans of the show, leaving a mystery as to how John died. 

While the show does not give any explanation to John’s death, Julia Quinn provided readers with further clarity via an author’s note at the end of When He Was Wicked. This update is one that provides a major answer as to how poor John died, which was lacking in the show. 

“John died of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Cerebral aneurysms are congenital weak spots in the walls of blood vessels within the brain. They may lie dormant for many years or they may rapidly enlarge and then rupture, leading to bleeding in the brain, which can be followed by unconsciousness, coma, and death. Headaches brought on by ruptured cerebral aneurysms are sudden and explosive but can be preceded by a lingering headache for some time prior to the actual rupture,” Quinn explains in the book. 

Unfortunately, as Quinn reveals, there was nothing that could have been done to save John and there was really no way for the family to know how John died, which is likely why the show did not include any formal explanation. 

As the book explains, “During the 19th century, the only way to make a definitive diagnosis of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm was at autopsy. It is extremely unlikely, however, that an earl would have undergone a postmortem dissection; therefore, John's death would have remained a mystery to those who loved him. All Francesca would ever know was that her husband had a headache, lay down, and died.” 

While this added piece of context would certainly have helped to explain John’s death for Bridgerton fans, we do have to admit, there isn’t exactly a natural way this could have been worked into the show. Thankfully, we do have the context of Quinn’s book to provide us with the answers the show was unable to answer about John’s death.