what happened to saruman

Sarumans fate differs between the books and the movies. In the books, after the defeat of Sauron, Frodo exiles Saruman from the Shire, but before he can leave, Gríma Wormtongue kills him by slitting his throat. In the movies, Sarumans death is not shown in the theatrical cut of The Return of the King, but in the extended edition, he is killed by Gríma Wormtongue by being stabbed in the back and falling from the top of Orthanc and being impaled in a spiked wheel. In both versions, Saruman is killed by his own assistant, Gríma Wormtongue. In the books, Sarumans spirit is said to have tried to turn back, but he was unable to do so and was lost forever.