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So, Guys, there's a character in a story I'm working on that dies. Like, in the begining. It's got to be really significant. Can you guys give me some ideas? It would really help.

We're going to need a few more details, unless someone's in the mood to go commendation fishing with an essay covering every possible method and reason for killing off a character in 'significant' fashion.

In general though I'd say you have your work cut out for you killing off a newly introduced character in the very beginning and having the reader feel like it matters at all.

Well, her dying LITERALLY makes the whole story happen. I need it to be something quick and sudden. Something that you can't expect. It should be shocking.

Establish the character first and make them likeable and relatable, like someone the reader would want to continue reading about. That's far more important for impact than the actual method of death. (Though however they die shouldn't necessarily be just completely random--it should follow from the actual events of the story, character actions etc.)

Thanks you guys.
 

But (no offense) I need the actual WAY that she died. Like, sickness, gun, stabbed, etc....

Why is their death significant? Plus, you don't really need a way. I've read To Kill a Mockingbird like four times, and there's not a single hint of the way Scout and Jem's mother died. 

I mean it's your plot. Or are you asking us to just make a list of ways it's possible for people to die and then you're going to roll some dice or go with whatever strikes your fancy?

Sorry if this hasn't been terribly helpful but a significant death, or literally anything that happens in a story happens because it follows from the plot and serves a purpose. Setting, time period etc also would play a role which is why I was saying we needed more details.

If the character needs to be out of the picture simply for reasons of convenience than any common cause of death will do. If they're supposed to essentially be Batman's parents or show how ruthless a villain is then you'd go with sudden, traumatic, and deliberate. You can't switch these around for anything like the same effect, so it's really something you need to decide for yourself since right now you're the only one who knows what specific purpose and result you want the death to have and why.

So, I'm assuming your issue is making sure that the character's death has impact on the player, and makes them actually feel something. If that's it, I'll try to help the best I can with a few tips.

Sometimes, characters like these are far harder to write than your main ones. Your main ones have an entire story to tell the readers who they are, so even the blandest of people will develop. With these early death characters, you have to let us know and feel attached to this character quickly.

Try give give them at least a few scenes with a bit of focus before you kill them off, and make sure their personality shines through. If you can, try write down a description of what you think the character's like, and make sure he actually is a character rather than just a plot device. Whether he's optimistic, funny and clumsy or dark, serious and professional, make sure that you're writing a character and a death rather than just a motivation for the main character.

Also, try avoid making it too obvious he's going to die. Because in loads of works, there's clearly a character that exists purely to be killed off, and no one is surprised when he finally is. 

So you have a character that you need to die. And it has to be significant. And it drives the story.

Okay.

Why? I mean, not "Why do you need to know this," I mean, "Why is it significant and it drives the story?" That's the key to trying to answer this question, and if you don't know the answer, no one here can help you.

This could go in an infinite number of directions. I don't know if the character dying is what causes a second character to act. I don't know if the character dying is the main character. I don't know if the character dying is a good person, bad person, or insignificant. Heck, at this point the character death could be significant because they're going to come back as a ghost and be the main character in the story! This could be an action/adventure story where the character dying is because of some actions that directly affect the main character and the main character has to react to the action around the death. This could be a love story where the slow death of the character dying could be a sad event that is going to change another character's life. This could be some kind of drama where the character dying could be a happy event that frees up another character from some sort of repression or slavery where they can now do what they want. Every one of these options creates different possibilities and options and logical ways for the character to die.

Also, what about the character who dies? Is this person male or female? Does it matter? Are they married? Do they have a family? Is it an old lady? Is it someone who expects to die? Is this a sudden death that no one expected? Who else is going to care that the person died? Are the police happy the person died? Will anyone else even know that the person died, or did they die alone and their body won't be discovered for days or weeks? Did this person want to die? Were they adventurous and a thrill-seeker who always knew they would die one day? Is it a person who never took any risks, trying to avoid death at every turn?

So hey, I'd honestly love to help, but with the information you've provided, it is quite difficult.

And if none of that helps, here you go:

A Mack truck runs the red light and plows into the character. One moment they are crossing the road, the next they are simply gone.

Ate carne guisada till they died.

It's a delicious way to go I recommend it.

Or, if you're supposedly one of the best writers in history, you could just go with "Oh, they just went insane and killed themselves", even if nothing about their character hints at guilt or insanity.

Mizal is right.

We need to know more about your setting to even start suggesting deaths.  After all, someone in the medieval times isn't likely to be killed by a ricocheting laser blast.  Likewise someone in a modern setting isn't likely to be speared by a bayonet (though that is still more plausible than the previous scenario.)  Or in a futuristic setting with advanced medicine, it's less likely someone will die in childbirth.

So with a little more background we can be a little less vague.

Just go with spontaneous human combustion.

They choke on a chicken bone, causing the main character to forever hate chickens.

Boom! Done.

But seriously, what's the plot of your story?