‘This Is Us’ Star Justin Hartley Teases Shocking Reveal About Jack’s Death: ‘It’ll Stay With You’

“This is Us” fans were hit with a major blow on Wednesday and, according to star Justin Hartley, another is on the way. During Season 1, episode 16, viewers finally learned the tragic details of William’s death, which left many sobbing uncontrollably. Viewers learned early on that both William and Jack are dead, but it remains unclear what happened to the Pearson family patriarch.

Hartley, who plays Kevin on “This is Us,” told Us Weekly viewers would “never guess” how Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died. He explained, without giving too much away, that his on-screen father’s death was too surprising for viewers to piece together on their own. While he wasn’t ready to give anything away, he did warn that it was going to be “painful.”

“You’ll never guess it,” he told Us. “It’s unexpected and it’s extremely heartbreaking and sad and deep and moving and, ugh, it’s painful. It’s painful. It’ll stay with you.”

While Hartley had little faith in fans ability to piece together Jack’s cause of death, he made no mention of whether their predictions as to when he died were on target. After Season 1, episode 15 — during which it was revealed that Rebecca (Mandy Moore) began pursuing a career in music and may be heading out on tour — viewers began theorizing that tragedy may strike while the Big Three’s mother is out chasing her dreams.

Many tweeted a feeling that Rebecca would leave, despite Jack’s objections, and her husband would die. Some even speculated that it may be a car accident that killed him. There has been no confirmation of those theories, however.

While no one connected with the show has been willing to give up any details, there seems to be an agreement among the cast and showrunners that “This Is Us” viewers are going to be heartbroken. Both Moore and Chrissy Metz, who plays Jack and Rebecca’s daughter Kate on the show, agreed that fans weren’t ready to find out what happened. Both said they’d watched the episode containing the reveal and were overcome by emotion.

“I’m not sure people are prepared for this,” Moore told Entertainment Weekly. “I hope it at least satiates some of their need to know what, when, how, why with Jack. Obviously, that’s a question that is asked of us a lot, and I want people to be patient and almost forget about it. Yes, Jack is not alive in the present day, but other than that, he is very much alive in the show, and his spirit is here, even in the present day.”

Looks like viewers will just have to hang tight. “This is Us” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.