How did Ted Lasso’s dad die? Ted and Henry’s Season 4 finale conversations, explained
'Ted Lasso' just aired its emotional Season 4 finale, titled 'Being Alive'. Most storylines dealt with characters seeking a brighter future, but one focused on past wounds. The storyline in question is when Henry Lasso (Grant Feely) asks Ted (Jason Sudeikis) about his grandpa's death. The query has been on his mind since Mae Green's (Annette Badland) death. Henry's grandmother previously informed him that Ted's father died due to falling down the stairs, but he is not satisfied with the answer. Henry is correct in his doubts, as his grandpa actually died by suicide. The question shocks Ted, as he did not expect to have this conversation with Henry. Ted decides to back his mother's lie and assures Henry that nothing of that sort will happen to him. "Yes. But hey, don't worry. I'm good on stairs. You ain't gonna lose me any time soon, I promise," he said.
Ted was clearly uncomfortable with the lie. Back at work, he discussed the issue with Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt). "Henry was asking for some straight talk the other day, and I went a little too serpentine on him for my liking," he said to Beard. The assistant coach assured him that if he lied to protect Henry and not because he was uncomfortable, he took the right call. The lie kept weighing heavily on Ted's mind. This implies that protecting Henry was not the only reason. Therefore, the next time he sat down to talk with Henry, Ted decided to be honest.
Ted walked in on Henry struggling with his homework and promised to be more present from now on. "I'm sorry I missed so many games this season, but I just want to let you know that I'm gonna shift some stuff around on my side of things and make sure that won't happen next year. I promise," Ted told Henry. "And there's actually something else I want to talk about with you. It's about how your grandfather passed away…" The conversation was muted, but it can be assumed that Ted told Henry about the exact circumstances behind his father's death.
Ted is telling Henry about the suicide for the first time, but long-time fans first came to know about it in the Season 2 episode 'Man City.' After having a panic attack, Ted revealed the information to Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles). "My father killed himself when I was 16. That happened to me and, uh, to my mom," he said to her. The situation was discussed in greater detail during episode 10 of the same season, titled 'No Weddings and a Funeral.' The episode focused on the funeral of Rebecca Welton's (Hannah Waddingham) father, which made Ted struggle with his own past. He never attended his father's funeral. In a sit-down with Dr. Sharon, he revealed why he did not show up.
"'Cause he quit. You know, he quit on his family. He quit on himself. And I hated him for that. I think I still hate him for it," he stated. Ted further revealed that he was the one who found his dead father in their home. "Me and a bunch of high school buddies were gonna do a marathon of all them Jason movies that night. So I, you know, came home from school as usual and I went up to my room and — bang! I opened up the door and, there he was. [And I just] screamed. Choked. Cried. Ran upstairs, called 911. Went to the fridge, grabbed one of his Coors Lights. Drank that. Then I called my mom at work and let her know that she needed to come home," he shared. Despite his misgivings, Ted called his father a good man who was a "chatterbox," and wished they could have talked more.
The coach also touched on the mental health issues that disturbed his father and pushed him into taking the dangerous step. "He was a good dad. And I don't think he knew that," Ted recalled. "I think if he would've known how good he was at stuff he didn't really care about being good at, I don't think he would've done what he did. And I wish I would have told him. I wish I would have told him more. I was just so angry at him cause he was always gone at work and out with friends or something, and then he was gone." The incident deeply impacted Ted's mentality. The tragedy is the reason he cares so deeply about people and tries to uplift them, because he has closely felt the consequences of depression. All episodes of 'Ted Lasso' are currently streaming on Apple TV.
