“The Gilded Age” killed off Claybourne Elder’s beloved character on Sunday night’s episode. John, who was a descendant of President John Adams, was fatally struck by a speeding horse carriage on the streets of New York City, moments after sharing a romantic exchange with his former lover Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson).

Last week's episode of The Gilded Age left fans — and Oscar — shocked when John Adams was hit by a passing carriage. Well, fans were in for an even bigger shocker this week with episode 7, "Ex-Communicated,

The Gilded Age season 3 delivered another shocker — just one week after killing off beloved character John Adams (Claybourne Elder) — and now the fate of Morgan Spector 's character hangs in the balance following the penultimate episode.