The Simpsons fans in mourning after the death of beloved character-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Larry The Barfly is no more (Picture: Universal Studios)

The Simpsons has killed off a long running character after almost 35 years on the show.

The iconic animated series, which is currently in the midst of its 35th season, and the team dropped a major bombshell on viewers with the death of Larry the Barfly.

In last weekend’s episode Cremains the Day, the barfly – who was first voiced by Harry Shearer in 1989 episode Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire – drops dead at Moe’s Tavern.

Bartender Moe, Homer, Lenny and Carl all turned up to his funeral, but it turns out they knew very little about their so-called friend despite spending so much time with him.

Homer asked: ‘Is it possible we’re terrible people?’

To make matters worse, his mother Iris paid a poignant tribute at his funeral, and said: ‘My Lawrence always talked about his best friends, the fellows at Moe’s Tavern.

The longstanding character died during this weekend’s episode (Picture: Universal Studios)

The episode was an emotional one for fans (Picture: Universal Studios)

‘It would warm my heart if they came up and shared fond memories of my son.’

After they fumbled through a vague and made-up fishing story, she gave the four friends a picture of them and their late pal – whose full name Larry Dalrymple was revealed for the first time – at his ‘special place’, Serenity Falls.

The quartet set off to take his ashes there, but there are more twists in the tale.

Fans were gutted by the death, as X user @adrenochromia wrote: ‘Holy s**t larry from the simpsons died rest in peace my drunken king.’

The gang went on a road trip to scatter his ashes (Picture: Universal Studios)

‘Larry Dalrymple is dead,’ @BenHugh26422365 said with a sad face, while @Galileo908 tweeted: ‘RIP to the barfly that called Homer Bill. #thesimpsons.’

Referencing a Beatles spoof written for the episode, they added: ‘If there is a Simpsons character that embodies Eleanor Rigby, it’s Larry The Barfly #thesimpsons’

After the episode aired, long running Simpsons writer Matt Selman paid tribute to the team behind the emotional episode.

The Simpsons is currently in its 35th season (Picture: 20thCentFox/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

He wrote: ‘”Cremains of the Day” — @TheSimpsons episode 765, brilliantly written by John Frink, stunningly co-run by @mrtimlong & daringly directed by Gabriel DeFrancesco.’

It’s by no means the first time a character has been killed off on The Simpsons, with the likes of Bleeding Gums Murphy, Maude Flanders and Fat Tony all meeting their maker.

However, for Fat Tony, he was replaced by new character Fit Tony, who gained weight and got renamed Fat Tony, with voice character Joe Mantegna playing the role for the duration.

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