In a surprising turn of events, the long-running animated series "The Simpsons" bid farewell to a background character in its latest episode, "Cremains of the Day."
Larry the Barfly, a silent mainstay at Moe's Tavern since the show's premiere episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (1989), met his demise. Voiced by the prolific Harry Shearer (Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, Waylon Smithers), Larry's death leaves Homer and his usual crew at Moe's confronting the unexpected absence of their enigmatic peer.
The episode, the 765th in the series' history, even sheds light on Larry's previously unknown full name: Lawrence Dalrymple, The Independent reported. Social media reflects a wave of mourning from fans, expressing a newfound appreciation for this previously under-the-radar character whose quiet presence held a unique appeal.
"Just learned they are killing off Larry on The Simpsons tomorrow," one person wrote. "I need a minute."
"I can't believe they killed off Larry Dalrymple on The Simpsons last night," another user wrote on X.
"One thing about the latest Simpsons episode is that all jokes aside, Larry The Barfly's life is really f***ing sad and tragic," the third person commented.
Other fans commented that they were unaware of Larry's name before this episode, with one person writing: "I'm over 30 and younger than 40..been watching The Simpsons all my life and just discovered the name of the guy that sits in the bar is named Larry."
Many fans consider seasons 3 through 9 to be the show's strongest ("Golden Era"). Recently, the series has been revisiting some of these classic characters and storylines.
Last year, they even brought back a character from the show's very first season - the flirtatious bowling coach, Jacques (voiced by Albert Brooks).
