Looking for an appreciation of the character who met his unexpected end last night on The Wire? In deference to all the people who squawked when we revealed too much last time — and with one last grumpy reminder that if you're such a huge fan that you're upset by spoilers, just watch the show, people — we're putting our Fauxbit after the jump. Spoilers, obviously.

Joseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart, the rotund, businesslike drug lord of Baltimore's East Side, was killed last night in his home by Marlo Stanfield and his lieutenant Chris Partlow. Prop Joe's exact age was unknown, but he was thought to be in his late fifties.

Joe's credo, followed from an early age, was simple: "You cross me, I'm a snake," he told an elementary-school classmate in 1962. "But on a straight-up proposition, with a handshake? My word is my bond." Joe's reliability made him a successful player in Baltimore's drug trade; his willingness to go to the mats when crossed made him a force to be reckoned with. Long able to deliver the purest heroin in the city, thanks to a connection to a source known only as "The Greek," Joe used a combination of handshake deals and canny tricks to gain territory in West Side housing projects, before forming the New Day Co-Op, a collective of most of the major heroin players in the city.

Nathan Petrelli, a former naval officer and district attorney from New York whose congressional career was cut short by his disfigurement and the disappearance of his brother, died last night in Odessa, Texas, when an assassin shot him twice in the chest in the midst of a press conference. He was 40. He is survived by Simon and Monty, his sons by his estranged wife, Heidi; by his brother, Peter; and by Claire Bennett, a child from a previous relationship.

After a successful career as a district attorney, Mr. Petrelli ran for Congress in his home district of Hyde Park, New York. Though his campaign was plagued by rumors of ties to the shadowy Linderman Group and was frequently struck by rumors about mental disorders suffered by his father and brother, Petrelli won the race and was elected to Congress. Hailed as a rising star of local politics, Petrelli, supporters believed, could even have become president if, say, some unthinkable cataclysm were to destroy New York.

However, Mr. Petrelli disappeared from public life shortly after his election. Horribly burned in the nuclear explosion of his brother, and healed by an infusion of another man's blood, Petrelli grew a bushy, unkempt beard, which demonstrated to all those who saw him that he was depressed. Later, he shaved it off, so that people would know he felt better. During a press conference in Odessa, Texas, during which Nathan planned to tell the world about his superpower of flight, he was shot twice in the chest and seemed to die, although seriously, who the hell really knows for sure?

Related: Niki Sanders, Loving Mother and Sociopath, Dies at 33

Niki Sanders, a former casino worker and online-pornography performer, died in an explosion in an abandoned building in New Orleans last night. She was 33. She leaves behind a son, Micah.

Mrs. Sanders suffered from both Shanti Virus, a disease afflicting individuals with superpowers, and multiple personality disorder. The former took away her super-strength toward the end of her life; the latter was a problem she struggled with for several years. At times she took on the personality of her psychotic sister, Jessica, and was while under control of that personality responsible for scores of deaths. Recently, a new, even more ludicrous personality revealed itself: Gina, a wanton free spirit and party girl, who took over Niki's body for a lost weekend of cocaine and swarthy men in Los Angeles. Mrs. Sanders was only rescued when her husband, D.L., traveled to Los Angeles to find her; tragically, D.L., a Las Vegas firefighter, was shot and killed in the process.

Remembered by friends for her devotion to her son, her tendency to spend long hours talking to herself in the mirror, and her smokin' hot bod, Niki Sanders died while rescuing her niece, Monica, from thugs involved in a murderous insurance scam. Her surviving family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made toward a Circuit City gift card for her son.

Related: Nathan Petrelli, Ex-Bearded Ex-Congressman, Dies at 40

It seems like only eleven months ago that we found out lonely girl Bree Avery wasn't really a home-schooled video-blogging 16-year-old, but rather the invention of a filmmaking duo from California — and now she's dead. After 260-some Webisodes, Avery was killed by members of The Order, an evil religious cult that needed her rare blood type to survive. Enduring kidnappings, a brainwashing, awkward product placements ("What's that?" "It's Hershey's Ice Breakers gum!"), and clumsy attempts by her male friends to hook up with her, Bree finally succumbed to her long battle with Internet fame on Friday night when she died giving a blood transfusion to a member of The Order. She is survived by friends Daniel and Jonas, and several corporate sponsorships.

LonelyGirl15 Finale [MySpaceTV]
Related: Hey There, Lonelygirl [NYM]

From our worldwide correspondents, we bring you Harry Potter Fauxbits in Brief, a complete compendium of the last year's death reports on the Wizarding News Wire. Who died in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Good or evil, human, animal, or elf: We've got 'em all, after the jump.

Um, spoilers, obviously.

Unlike his compatriot Silvio Dante, who at episode's end last night was still breathing — if unlikely ever to awaken — Robert Baccalieri Jr., a.k.a. Bobby Bacala, was shot to death last night on The Sopranos, whacked by two hit men doing the bidding of New York capo Phil Leotardo. Bobby was always the sweetest and weirdest of the Sopranos regulars, a nebbishy model-train enthusiast ill-suited to the role of heavy. Henpecked by his wife, Tony's sister Janice, and hopelessly devoted to Tony's Uncle Junior, Bobby suffered at times from Tony's transferring his aggression for those two difficult figures in his life onto Bobby. Just before the shooting, in fact, Tony threatened to freeze him out when Janice asked Tony for help paying for Junior's medical expenses.

In the end, Bobby was a victim of his own love of routine. As Junior's driver (and, later, his nursemaid), Bobby Bacala became a creature of habit, useful because of his steadiness and unwavering nature.