'The Simpsons' killed off a longtime character on Sunday's episode: 'May he rest in peace'

(NEXSTAR) – A character who debuted on the third-ever episode of “The Simpsons” was killed off on Sunday’s episode.

Larry Dalrymple, one of several barflies who frequented Moe’s Tavern, dropped dead on his barstool during the April 21 episode, called "Cremains of the Day." The rest of the show centered on Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe — Larry’s supposed friends, though they knew very little about him — attempting to honor Larry’s memory by scattering his ashes at a waterfall.

Larry rarely ever spoke despite appearing in hundreds of episodes, according to a count at WikiSimpsons. But fans will likely remember him as a regular at Moe’s Tavern who could usually be seen drinking at the end of the bar, often with his bespectacled friend Sam.

Matt Selman, a writer for “The Simpsons,” had hinted at Larry’s death ahead of Sunday’s show. In a post shared to X on April 18, Selman polled his followers, asking who they thought would “die” in the upcoming episode.

The options were Homer, Bart, Marge, or “Larry the silent barfly.”

“I know he's only spoken maybe 20 words or less in the over quarter century he's been around on the show, and yet, I still feel bad for him,” one follower wrote in response to the poll.

Following the broadcast, viewers reacted in shock — but also mild shock, and no shock at all — on social media.

“Sad day in Simpsons land,” one X user wrote. “Larry The Barfly has passed away[.] May he rest in peace[.] Rest high on that mountain Larry.”

“Which popular Simpsons character was killed off in the last week? If you said Larry the Barfly, you're wrong. He was never popular,” another bluntly wrote.

Now deceased, Larry Dalrymple joins the pantheon of “Simpsons” characters who have passed on, including Bleeding Gums Murphy, Maude Flanders, Edna Krabappel and the original Snowball, among other memorable characters.