Ever since This Is Us wrapped back in March, fans have had one burning question: what happened to Jack Pearson? Portrayed by the always dreamy Milo Ventimiglia, Jack is the father-of-three who stole the hearts of pretty much everyone who tuned in. But, though the hunk is one of the best parts of the show, much of his story and what happens to him remains a mystery.

Jack and wife Rebecca, played by Mandy Moore, meet in Pennsylvania and end up bonding over football, as Jack is a super-fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. We eventually learn that Jack struggles with a drinking problem that’s believed to stem from his father’s emotional abuse and alcoholism. And, in the final episodes of Season 1, people on Twitter were convinced that his drinking would lead to his ultimate demise.

He did, however, make it through the end of the season without dying, which only led to more fan theories and questions. From speculations that he died in an accident to hypotheses that he took his own life, the Internet went wild trying to solve Jack’s death.

“Miguel kills Jack because he’s always pined for Rebecca. No? It’s not that kind of show?” one fan tweeted. Another wrote, “I’ve been suspecting alcohol might have something to do with Jack’s death for awhile. I hope I’m wrong though.”

The series has given us some clues as to what happened, specifically from the character Kate, played by Chrissy Metz. While talking to fiancé Toby, played by Chris Sullivan, she reveals why she can’t stand to talk about her father’s death. “It’s my fault… I’m the reason he’s dead,” she says.

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Though there’s still too much vagueness to give any real guesses about his death, the stars of the show have confirmed that they know what leads to it. Mandy talked to People magazine about the details surrounding her on-screen hubby’s passing.

“We all had to know,” she said. “If you think about it, all of the core actors sort of had to know because we see him later, but something that fundamentally earth-shattering and life-changing that happened to the kids at some point in their lives is something they’re going to carry with them as adults.”

Other stars like Chrissy and on-screen brother Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall, have revealed their feelings about Jack’s death. “I think Jack died the way he lived by always trying to do the right thing,” Sterling told Entertainment Weekly. “I think folks are going to be moved, and surprised, and it’s very, very sad. But I think that his death is in fitting with the type of father and the husband that he always tried to be, even when he fell short of the mark.”

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Chrissy made sure to warn fans that we might want to break out a box of tissues for the episode. “Because of what and how it went down, I would say that it’s…really heart-wrenching,” she told EW. “You don’t want to know anything else!”

And the man himself, Milo, opened up about the nature of his character’s death. “I think there’s going to be a whole lot of disrepair and repair that happens between where we see Jack now as well as where his end is met,” he told EW. “I would urge people to not worry too much about how and when [he dies], and just accept that Jack has limited time, and know that every moment he has with his kids, with his wife, is going to be the most important thing to him.”