J.T. Yorke

James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke is a fictional character from the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He was portrayed by Ryan Cooley. He debuted in the first episode of the series and appeared throughout its first six seasons. His role throughout Degrassi: The Next Generation primarily concerns his friendship with Toby Issacs (Jake Goldsbie), his relationship with Liberty Van Zandt (Sarah Barrable-Tishauer), and his later brief relationship with Mia Jones (Nina Dobrev). In the show's fifth season, Liberty becomes pregnant after the two become sexually active, with Liberty ultimately deciding to put the baby up for adoption. He then begins to date Mia by the sixth season, but has second thoughts about Liberty. Before he is able to rekindle his relationship with Liberty, he is stabbed to death by Drake Lempkey, a student from rival school Lakehurst, puncturing his aorta and killing him. His death causes tensions between Degrassi and Lakehurst, which are exacerbated by the latter's students being moved to Degrassi in the seventh season. One of the show's most popular characters, J. T. Yorke's death drew a massive outcry from fans of the series, with many posting "YouTube memorials" about the character. Development Jake Goldsbie originally auditioned for the role, but was cast as Toby Isaacs. The character was named after show writer Brendon Yorke. Ryan Cooley discovered that he was leaving the series in April 2006, shortly before filming commenced on the sixth season. While admitting that he was surprised at the death of his character, Cooley had already been contemplating leaving the series to concentrate on his university studies. Cooley's last episode was "Rock This Town" where his character was stabbed. The episode was recorded in August 2006 and aired in January 2007.