In the first episode of season 14 of Heartland, Ty Borden, played by Graham Wardle, suddenly collapses while stabling his horse Spartan and dies from complications from his gunshot wound, deep vein thrombosis. This came as a shock to fans around the world and to the cast and crew of the show. Wardle decided to leave the show after being on it for 14 seasons to explore other areas of life and dedicate more time to his own projects. Wardles decision to leave the show was final, and his character Ty was killed off in the episode so that Wardle could make his departure from the show for his own creative reasons.