The Simpsons death: Character killed off - but not the one you thought

It was not Krusty the Clown who left the long-running show on Sunday night

Fans were left surprised by the death on Sunday night's season 26 premiere (Fox/YouTube)

Last night it finally happened – The Simpsons lost one of their long-standing characters after months of speculation over who would be facing the chop.

*Spoiler alert*

Rumours had been rife that much loved entertainer Krusty the Clown was set to die, but instead, it was his father Rabbi Hyman Krustofski who bid viewers farewell during Sunday’s 26th season premiere.

Fans did not have long to wait, as Rabbi died painlessly after just eight minutes while talking to Krusty. His son had been subjected to a celebrity roasting by guest stars Sarah Silverman and Jeff Ross and quit after taking offence at their jibes.

The episode opened with Bart Simpson writing “Spoiler alert: unfortunately my dad doesn’t die” on the blackboard during the credits.

Al Jean, executive producer, said days before the premiere that the impending death “may have become overhyped”.

“I wanted to make sure people knew what we were trying to do is an emotional episode,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rabbi Hyman Krustofski and his son Krusty the Clown (Fox)

Many fans suspected that Krusty would die, after the episode’s title “Clown in the Dumps” was revealed.

But earlier this year, Jean said that although the character to be killed off was “great,” he “never used the word ‘iconic’”.

Rabbi will not be coming back from the dead, as Jean believes that once a character leaves, they should not return.

“When we kill them, they stay dead,” he told Hollywood Life. “But, you know, in animation you can certainly have somebody remember somebody else or fantasize or have a dream about them, so I wouldn’t rule that out.”

Jean then referred to Family Guy’s Brian Griffin, the pet dog who died in a car accident before being brought back to life with Stewie’s time machine.

“We’re not going to do what they did with Brian. It’s not going to – a time machine or something that solves the problem and he or she is back as a living character,” he said.

Last night also saw the hotly-awaited Family Guy, Simpsons crossover episode air, following backlash over a “troubling” punchline that saw Stewie tell Moe his sister was “being raped”.