Fans of The Blacklist got a heavy blow this week with the announcement that another one of the show’s beloved stars has died. As one would imagine, Megan Boone and more are mourning the death of their co-star, Clark Middleton, who had phenomenally brought the character of Glen (a.k.a. “Jellybean”) to life ever since Season 2, when he first took on his scene-stealing portrayals of Red’s critical contact at the DMV, a position that helped Middleton’s Glen Carter be an ace at locating people for the ever-mysterious Raymond Reddington.
The Blacklist has now lost a key asset, with Clark Middleton’s wife Elissa announcing on Variety that her husband had succumbed to the West Nile Virus at the young age of 63 years old. On Instagram, Megan Boone posted the following message about her co-star (who also appeared in Twin Peaks) with this heartfelt post:
As Megan Boone’s message mentions by way of behind-the-scenes news, The Blacklist is on the verge of returning to filming for Season 8 to deliver a fall premiere, which is currently slated for Friday, November 13. Grieving a co-star's. death, though, is probably one of the gravest ways imaginable to get ready for a new season.
In another tribute to Middleton, Amir Arison joined in Boone in paying his respects to his fellow Blacklist star, posting:
Over on The Blacklist’s official Twitter page, the show’s creator Jon Bokenkamp also saluted Clark Middleton. Bokenkamp’s tribute does not mention if or how the series plans to pay homage to Middleton or his beloved character when it returns. (A sad thought that the show's producers are all-too-familiar with as of late.) Bokenkamp provided a moving statement on Middleton’s untimely death, which not only touched on his legacy as an actor but as a person:
As a fan of Clark Middleton and his incredible portrayal of Glen, I am just absolutely heartbroken by this news. Glen will always be an integral part of The Blacklist’s history. His captivating presence heightened the quality of each episode he was in, and whenever he was not around, the crime drama was missing that bit of magic. Season 8 is heading into production with a massive hole in many hearts.
Thankfully, The Blacklist did have a fantastic Glen-centric episode last season that showcased how much Clark Middleton is an irreplaceable part of the show. On that note, it is unclear how the creative team will move forward, and whether they will handle Middleton’s death on-screen as Glen's death, or in some other way. News of Middleton’s tragic death comes months after the sudden loss of actor Brian Dennehy, who played Dom Rostov; so far, though, Dom remains alive within the series.
Time will tell what Season 8 has in store with regards to both Glen and Dom. Find out if and how the characters will be addressed when The Blacklist returns on Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. For now, you can check out Clark Middleton’s standout work in previous seasons of the crime drama via Netflix’s releases.
