Depending whom you ask, the entire ending of The West Wing was changed by the death of John Spencer.

For six seasons, Spencer played Leo McGarry, chief of staff and later counselor to the president for the Bartlett administration. He was a patient, loyal, and often beleaguered boss and father figure to the younger staff members, as well as confidant and friend to the President. His character was so well received, Clinton-era Chief of Staff Leon Panetta once told Spencer that "any government would be lucky with Leo as chief of staff."

In Season 7, McGarry ran for vice president alongside Jimmy Smits' Congressman Santos. Sadly, John Spencer passed away as the result of a heart attack on December 16, 2005, and the series' creators were forced to figure out a way to resolve his story.

Here's where the show's history gets a little tricky. According to executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell, the writers had planned for Santos and McGarry to lose the election, but felt that writing in the death of a beloved character and the loss of the White House was too much for the viewers to take. Instead, they rewrote the ending with McGarry dying on election night and Santos becoming president. Showrunner John Wells has contradicted O'Donnell's claims, but one thing they agree on is this: They couldn't keep doing the show without Spencer.

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