WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Outer Banks season 4, part 2!Though JJs death in Outer Banks season 4 finale came as a massive shock to audiences, the plans for his fate had been laid long before. Over the years, it seemed as if Outer Banks main characters, the Pogues, had enough plot armor and luck to keep them immune from death. Sarah has almost died in every season, with John B, Kiara, and Pope also surviving numerous lethal situations on their treasure hunts over the first four seasons. However, Outer Banks finally took the plunge and killed off JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow), the Pogue-est of all Pogues, in season 4.

https://screenrant.com/why-outer-banks-killed-off-jj-maybank-rudy-pankow-leaving/