George R.R. Martin reveals inspiration behind 'GOT' deaths

If you are a 'Game of Thrones' fan, you will understand how frustrating it is when your love for a recenlly introduced character is cut short by a change of plot and the writers decide to kill it! While we can all relate to the joy that came with Joffrey's death, the horror of 'The Red Wedding' was too much to deal with. Leaving us all high and dry with one question, WHY?

George R.R. Martin the author of "A Song of Ice and Fire" that is adapted into HBO's 'GOT', has finally revealed the inspiration behind his obsession with killing characters. According to a report by USA Today, the writer said that deaths of character in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' motivated him to add a similar plot to his books.

He revealed that the death of wizard Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings' influenced him to experiment with something similar in his story. He said that the dramatic tension created by a famous character's death is followed by a deep suspense because it leaves the audience with an idea that if this can happen, there isn't anything that can't happen. Martin even called 'LOTR' the greatest book that he has ever read.

Martin, carrying Tolkien's legacy forward, has killed more than 1,200 characters on "Game of Thrones" so far, starting with killing a dire wolf at the very begining. There was no looking back after that.

Some of the popular deaths that shook the viewers include the death of, Robert Baratheon (Killed by a boar), Eddard Stark (Executed by Ilyn Payne), Khal Drogo (Smothered by his wife Daenerys), Oberyn Martell (Killed by the Mountain), Ygritte (Killed by Olly) and Tommen Baratheon (Suicide by jumping out a window).