What Happened to Famous on 'Raising Kanan'? Theories Emerge After Body Is Found Off-Screen

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 5 of Raising Kanan.

Few characters in Power Book III: Raising Kanan have been as easy to root for as Shawn “Famous” Figueroa. From his loyalty to Kanan to his big dreams of being a rapper, Famous brought a certain innocence to a world increasingly marked by betrayal and violence. So, when Season 4 finally addressed his fate, fans were left asking: what happened to Famous on Raising Kanan?

After being mostly absent in the early episodes of Season 4 of the Power series, the answer came with a gut punch in Episode 5 — his body was found off-screen, tucked under a mattress in an alley. While the show clearly declared him dead, it did so in a way that’s only deepened the mystery.

To fully understand the moment, you have to rewind to the end of Season 3. Famous, played by Antonio Ortiz, had shot and killed Freddy Williams after a tense confrontation. His mother later found the murder weapon in his closet and turned it over to police — resulting in Famous being arrested and then disappearing entirely from the show.

By the time Season 4 began airing, fans were already suspicious. Where was Famous? Why wasn’t he mentioned? Even characters like Lou-Lou were shown to be in the dark. That unease grew louder week by week, especially on Instagram, where fans flooded Antonio’s posts with questions like “Is you alive??” and “Why is y’all keeping your character’s whereabouts a secret??!!”

Then came Episode 5. A shoplifter stumbled across a decomposing body hidden under a mattress. Police suspected it was Famous, but even then, the show held back — the body was never shown. Dialogue mentioned decomposition, and the need for dental records. Just like that, Famous was gone.

The confirmation of his death hit fans hard. It didn’t help that on March 26, Antonio had posted a carousel of photos and videos partying with friends. The comments section took on a life of its own, filled with ironic and heartfelt reactions:

“Bruhh you partying while we out here hurt asf,” one fan penned. A second chimed in: “We grieving and you vibing??”

Then, on April 5, Antonio finally broke his silence. In a farewell post on Instagram, he thanked the fans, the cast, and the creators behind Raising Kanan for giving him a role that clearly meant a lot to him. The show’s official Instagram also posted a goodbye reel, honoring both Famous and Antonio — a clear sign that his time on the show had ended.

For a show that thrives on double-crosses, late reveals, and plot twists, the way Famous was written off left a lot of room for speculation. On Reddit, fans gathered in threads like this one to ask a simple but complicated question: who killed Famous?

Many believe it could have been Marvin or Unique — two major players with complicated ties to Kanan and his circle. Others quickly ruled out Juke, seeing her loyalty to Famous as too deep. But the real debate wasn’t just who did it. It was whether it even happened at all.

Some fans pointed out that the show never showed his body. The corpse was described as decomposed beyond recognition. Dental records were “still pending.” As one Reddit user wrote, “What if he's in witness protection? Or perhaps the holes were left on purpose so that the character could be written back in if the actor becomes available again?”

Another theory suggested that the way his death was handled — off-screen and quickly wrapped up — could point to a behind-the-scenes issue with scheduling or availability. “They wrote him out without showing him because something came up with the actor,” one commenter speculated, adding that it might not be anything negative, just practical.

Even with all the questions still floating around, one thing is clear: the departure of Famous hit fans hard. He loved music. He loved his friends. And he tried, however imperfectly, to stay on the right path.

If this is truly the end for Famous, it’s a sad one. But Raising Kanan has never promised happy endings — just real ones.