Donnie Wahlberg Says Linda’s Death on ‘Blue Bloods’ Is ‘Still Tough’: ‘She Was My Other Half’

Donnie Wahlberg still remembers Linda Reagan’s gruesome death in Blue Bloods as heart-wrenching and sad.

The New Kids on the Block singer opened up about why Linda’s death is “still tough” for him to swallow during a Tuesday, December 10, interview with TV Insider. Linda’s death in a helicopter crash was revealed in season 8 of Blue Bloods. Amy Carlson portrayed the character, who was married to Donnie’s character, Danny Reagan.

“Certainly, the biggest moment ever for Danny was losing Linda,” he explained.

“In the episodes that followed, I learned that it wasn’t just Danny that lost Linda,” he told the outlet. “Donnie lost Amy. She was such a great scene partner, and these scenes where we would be rushing the kids out to school or to practice or whatever it was, she did so many little things as her character that she really was my other half in the show. … When she was gone, I noticed her loss in more ways than I ever imagined.”

Donnie, 55, and Amy, 56, established a great bond both on screen and off.

“I reach out to her and we stay in touch,” he told Country Living in February 2020. “Trust me, Danny Reagan is still upset and Donnie Wahlberg misses her tremendously.”

“Obviously I was going to miss her as a friend and a costar on the show, but I also missed the little things that she did. She would help the kids in the scene like their mom,” Donnie added.

At one point after the character’s death, Donnie admitted that he hoped Blue Bloods would still bring Amy back in future seasons.

“I’ve missed her in so many ways and, you know, I don’t know how we could ever bring her back,” he explained. “Maybe we do a dream episode where Danny dreams she’s back, I don’t know. We miss her, we all miss her on the show and she’s still a good friend, and I’m lucky to have worked with her.”

However, that idea never came to fruition. Now, there is only one episode left of Blue Bloods and it is sure to be quite the nail-biter. In a clip obtained by TVLine ahead of the finale, Danny is seen asking Maria Baez if she wants to go out for pizza. This might be a hint that Danny is ready to find love again.

As for Amy, her reasons for leaving the show are simple — her contract was up. But the thing she misses most is working with Donnie.

“What I miss most is working with Donnie, and Donnie has been a dream since I left,” she said during a November 2017 interview with Deadline.

“I could just tear up right now thinking about how sweet he’s been,” she reflected. “I miss working with Donnie. I miss playing those scenes with him. We had a lot of fun. We put a lot of work into those scenes, and we were both super committed to doing right by those characters.”