 Near the end of the production run of the show 's fifth season , Parker and Stone contemplated having an episode in which Kenny was killed off permanently . The reasoning behind the idea was to genuinely surprise fans , and to allow an opportunity to provide a major role for Butters Stotch , a breakout character whose popularity was growing with the viewers and creators of the show . In the episode " Kenny Dies " , Kenny dies after developing terminal muscular dystrophy , while Parker and Stone claimed that Kenny would not be returning in subsequent episodes . The duo insisted they grew tired of upholding the tradition of having Kenny die in each episode . Stone stated that thinking of humorous ways to kill the character was initially fun , but became more mundane as the series progressed . When they determined that it would be too difficult to develop the character because he was too much of a " prop " , Parker and Stone finally decided to kill off Kenny permanently . 
