In House M.D., which character dies by suicide after joining House’s diagnostic team?

Lawrence Kutner dies by suicide after joining House’s diagnostic team in House M.D.

Kutner, played by Kal Penn, was introduced during the competition to form House’s new team. He was energetic, inventive, and willing to take unconventional approaches to difficult cases. His sudden death occurs in the season-five episode “Simple Explanation.”

The story is especially notable because the other characters struggle to find a clear explanation for what happened. House investigates the death, but the narrative does not provide a simple medical mystery solution. The episode also reflects the suddenness and incomprehensibility that can accompany suicide.

Kutner’s departure was connected to Kal Penn leaving the show to work in the Obama administration. Viewers sometimes confuse Kutner’s death with Amber Volakis’s death, another major loss involving House’s circle, but the circumstances and episodes are different.