In the Season 3 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime, a crossover event with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order, Whelan goes up against all odds when tracking some dangerous criminals. He and Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) cover one area of the woods to take down criminal Kyle. Kyle aims and shoots at the detectives hitting Whelan in the neck. Immediately, Whelan can’t feel his legs.

No way this would be terminal! But sadly, it is. The next time we see Whelan, he’s on life support at the hospital with Reyes by his side. Whelan hints that he’d like Reyes to pull the plug since he doesn’t want to live his life paralyzed. Luckily, Whelan’s dad arrives so Whelan can say his final goodbyes to his father. And then, Jet gets the call that Whelan has died.

While this is deeply tragic, it gives Stabler the kick he needs to appreciate life. He tells Benson, “I sure as hell am gonna try [to find happiness].” Good for you, Stabler! But that doesn’t make us miss Whelan any less.