Does Lloyd Die in Yellowstone? Here’s What Happens to Him
Yellowstone is an incredible TV series revolving around the Duttons, a family of ranchers from Montana that are at the top of the game in their respective fields of expertise. While numerous characters have appeared in all five seasons of the show so far, Lloyd Pierce is probably one of the most beloved. So does Lloyd die in Yellowstone?
Lloyd Pierce went through some pretty rough times in Season 4 of Yellowstone but is still alive and well after Episode 6 of Season 5. We see him appear briefly in the preview for Episode 7 after the tragic death of another beloved character happened in Episode 6.
Seeing that Season 5 is still ongoing, there’s a lot that can happen to Lloyd or any other character in the show. Yellowstone proved time and time again they don’t shy away from shocking viewers with unexpected deaths of main, fan-favorite characters. Without further ado, here’s a quick rundown of what happens to Lloyd in Yellowstone and what could happen in the future.
Who is Lloyd Pierce in Yellowstone?
If you’re unfamiliar with the character or just need to refresh your memory a bit, let’s quickly go through the history of Lloyd Pierce throughout Yellowstone and his role in the show.
Lloyd Pierce is an old, experienced cowboy that’s been a ranchhand for the Dutton family for a long, long time. It was established that Lloyd had been working on the Yellowstone ranch for over thirty years, essentially watching John Dutton (Kevin Costner) grow up into the patriarch of the family he is today.
In Season 1 and Season 2, Lloyd’s role was minor, and he didn’t really have a lot of lines of dialogue. However, the lines he did have and the interactions we’ve seen him in quickly made Lloyd Pierce a beloved character in the show.
That resulted in Lloyd becoming a much more important figure in Season 3 and later on in the show. We learned more about him as a person and as a ranchhand who was always there for John and the rest of the Duttons, as well as his best friend, Rip.
His most important minutes so far certainly came in Season 4 of Yellowstone, where we see Lloyd get a love interest and play an important part in helping the Duttons run the ranch successfully. We also see Lloyd’s hardest moments in Season 4, both physically and mentally, but even then, he never even thought about changing sides and leaving the ranch.
Lloyd is portrayed by Forrie J. Smith, a 63-year-old Montana-native actor who spent his entire life as a cowboy. His parents and grandparents were cowboys, as well, so Forrie started riding horses when he was only five or six years old.
He actually competed on the rodeo circuit for a while before turning to acting in the 80s. Smith appeared in small roles or as a stuntman in numerous big projects, such as Desperado, Rambo III, Better Call Saul, and others. Forrie’s cowboy background is a huge part of the reason why he plays the role of Lloyd Pierce so well and why the fans love him so much.
What happens to Lloyd in Yellowstone?
The biggest ‘scare’ for fans about Lloyd’s well-being and possible death came around the mid-point of Yellowstone Season 4. You see, Lloyd had a tumultuous relationship with another guy on the ranch named Walker, an ex-con who started dating a girl named Laramie.
Laramie was a barrel racer and Mia’s best friend, but she was also Lloyd’s love interest. So, the tension between Lloyd and Walker came to a boil, and the two got into a big fight at the bunkhouse. Lloyd actually throws a knife with perfect precision and stabs Walker in the chest, right above the heart and below the shoulder.
Walker survived, of course, but Rip and John made the two settle their differences since they broke the ‘no fighting in the bunkhouse’ rule. They force the two to fight for hours, even after both Walker and Lloyd are completely exhausted.
In the end, it’s Lloyd that has just a bit more stamina, and he beats Walker. However, Rip feels that an example has to be made out of Lloyd that the behavior he presented would not be tolerated on the ranch, even if he had been there for over thirty years.
Despite being Lloyd’s best friend, Rip hugs him, tells Lloyd he loves him, and then jumps on him and starts beating him to a pulp. He even stomps on his hand at the end, breaking it severely. After the whole ordeal is finished, Walker and Lloyd stand up, hug each other, and claim they have settled their differences for good.
It also seems like there was no animosity left between Lloyd and Rip, who remained best friends. In fact, Rip asked Lloyd to be the best man at his impromptu wedding, which Lloyd accepted with a big smile on his face.
Does Lloyd die in Yellowstone Season 5?
Everything went back to normal between the characters, and Lloyd recovered quite well. However, the show isn’t over yet – in fact, Season 5 is still ongoing at the time of writing this article. So, is Lloyd still alive, or does he die in Yellowstone Season 5?
Lloyd Pierce is still alive and well in Yellowstone Season 5, at least up to Episode 7 (we’ll see what happens later). There was a huge scare before Episode 6 premiered, as the preview hinted at a major character dying in the episode.
Fans speculated it could be anyone from Kayce or Monica or even Lloyd himself. It turned out to be another beloved character in the show, though.
WARNING: Spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 6 ahead. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, skip the next part of the article.
In the end, it was John Dutton’s old friend Emmett Walsh (portrayed by Buck Taylor) who died peacefully in his sleep under a big tree. It was a heartbreaking but rather beautiful death scene, with John saying he “couldn’t have dreamed of a better death if you’d paid me.”
As for Lloyd Pierce, he’s still alive and well up until Episode 7, as can be heard and seen in the preview for that particular episode.
We see Lloyd talking to his best pal Rip for only a brief few seconds in the preview, but it’s enough to establish where the character’s at – Lloyd is doing just fine and will likely remain a part of the show for episodes (if not seasons) to come.
