Succession‘s Logan Roy (Brian Cox) has died. The founder and CEO of Waystar Royco passed away on a flight to meet with GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), which he chose to prioritize over the wedding of his eldest son Connor (Alan Ruck).
A Rupert Murdoch-meets-King Lear type, Logan was a titan of media, a ferocious businessman, and creator of beloved game Boar on the Floor. But while he died a billionaire, he would be the first to remind you that he came from humble beginnings.
Born in 1938 in Dundee, Scotland — the “North Bank” as son Kendall (Jeremy Strong) described in his infamous rap, “L to the OG” — Logan Roy built media conglomerate Waystar Royco from the ground up. The company is known for its flagship network ATN, which is known in turn for employing controversial anchors like Mark Ravenhead (Zack Robidas), who may or may not be a Nazi. (Signs like reading Mein Kampf multiple times point to “probably a Nazi.”) Waystar’s cruises division was also the subject of Succession scandal, as the surfacing of sexual assault allegations led to employees of Waystar Royco testifying before Congress.
A friend of many high-profile figures, including presidents, Logan weathered several such scandals throughout his time as CEO. He also survived multiple attempts to take over Waystar, including one brought about by his Number One Boy, Kendall.
To say Kendall and Logan’s relationship was “complicated” would be an understatement. Logan blackmailed Kendall over his manslaughter, then attempted to use Kendall as a sacrificial fall guy for Waystar’s wrongdoings. In turn, Kendall exposed his father in the subsequent press conference, calling him “a malignant presence, a bully, and a liar.” (This was not long after the aforementioned rap, in which Kendall said, “Since I stan Dad, I’m alive and well.”)
Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Their father-son connection was just one of many of Logan’s tumultuous personal relationships, such as his strained separation from his older brother Ewan (James Cromwell) and his three failed marriages. The first two ended in divorce, while the third, to Marcia (Hiam Abbass), was deeply fractured by the time of Logan’s death. Cheating on your wife with former PGM CEO Rhea Jarrell (Holly Hunter) and your current self-described “friend, assistant, and advisor” Kerry Castellabate (Zoe Winters) will do that!
But those relationships are just tiny spills compared to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch of mess that was how Logan treated his children Connor, Kendall, Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin). Logan’s many showdowns with Kendall made that relationship the most public, but he was withholding and abusive towards all his kids. He pitted them against each other for control of Waystar, neglected them when they did not interest him, and could always be counted on to call them “sicko” or some choice homophobic slur. At the Argestes retreat, Logan even slapped Roman. Himself a victim of abuse at the hands of his Uncle Noah, Logan continued that vicious cycle right to the end of his life.
Whatever love Logan failed to show his kids, he showed to his business. Even as he sold Waystar to GoJo, he demanded to remain in control of ATN. In the days before the deal was set to go through, he moseyed terrifyingly around the ATN newsroom like a hitman Santa Clause before delivering a rousing speech about destroying the competition. “This is not the end,” he told his fired-up employees as they cheered his name. But the world had other plans for him.
The loss of Logan Roy — and Brian Cox’s brilliantly blustery performance — will no doubt leave a gaping hole in our Sunday night viewing, just as it will leave a hole in the hearts of his children and a vacancy at the very top of Waystar’s corporate ladder. But before we turn to wondering about who will succeed the late Logan, join me in wishing the OG himself farewell with his two favorite words. You know exactly which ones I’m talking about.
Succession is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes airing at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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