Does Lilly die in Virgin River?

As a recurring role in Virgin River, Lilly is a familiar face for many fans – but does she die in the series? Here’s what you need to know.

A Virgin River resident who owned a local farm, Lilly Anderson (Lynda Boyd) has been a familiar face on the show since her debut appearance in Season 1 Episode 2.

Despite this, not much is known about her backstory, other than being married to the now-deceased Buck Anderson and having five children as a result – including a surprise pregnancy.

As Lilly’s appearances begin to decrease over time, does she die in Virgin River? Here’s everything you need to know.

Does Lilly die in Virgin River?

Yes, Lilly did die in Virgin River, after suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

When her daughter Tara (Stacey Farber) starts to visit, Lilly appears to be noticeably unwell, with Tara believing that she has too much on her plate. Later on, Lilly confides in Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) that she’s been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Other than to Mel, Tara, and Doc (Tim Matheson), Lilly largely keeps her illness a secret, all the while persuading Doc not to tell Hope (Annette O’Toole).

Toward the end of Season 3, viewers saw Lilly die in her sleep, with Tara still trying to wake her up after her death.

However, it was later reported by fans that Lilly’s death might have accidentally contained a plothole when looking back on her introduction in Season 1.

“Both Buck and Lilly are buried on the farm; this seems never to be mentioned again after Season 3, Episode 7. Are Jack and Mel going to buy the land, which includes what Lilly calls a family cemetery? Did it burn in the fire? Why was no one concerned about this when the developer wanted to purchase the farm? Or even when the lumber company wanted to?” one Redditor posted.

“Hope should’ve tried calling Lilly herself once Muriel sort of let out that something was going on with Lilly. I get that communications wasn’t all that stable due to the hurricane damages, but did she even try?” another complained.

For many, Lilly was potentially a character wasted throughout her time on Virgin River.

“Lilly deserved better,” another Redditor weighed in. “There are so many crazy things that happen in Virgin River, many that don’t add up. But Lilly’s story doesn’t add up and it’s so terribly sad! Her husband died. She hid her pregnancy and abandoned her child. Then had postpartum depression, then stage 4 cancer. Then dies! She was such a sweet character, she deserved a better story line and not all this trauma. I hate how rushed and traumatic her story is. Writers did her dirty!”