35 years after his introduction, The Simpsons just killed off a character who's been there since episode 1

RIP Larry Dalrymple. The Simpsons has killed off one of its oldest characters, who's been in the show for 35 years and made his first appearance in the show's very first episode.

Larry was a regular at Moe's Tavern who was mostly seen propping up the bar with a pint of Duff Beer. Fittingly, then, it's in Moe's Tavern that he died suddenly in the latest episode of season 35, titled 'Cremains of the Day'. The rest of the episode sees Homer, Moe, Lenny, and Carl attend Larry's funeral and set out to scatter his ashes – but they soon discover that his urn contains something else, too…

Larry was voiced by Harry Shearer, who also provides the voices for characters like Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, and Ned Flanders. Both Larry and his fellow barfly Sam made their first appearance in Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, which first aired in 1989. It was a Christmas special and the first episode in season 1.

The Simpsons has been known to kill off long-standing characters before, most notably Maude Flanders, Ned's wife, in season 11, as well as the original Fat Tony in season 22 and Edna Krabappel in season 25 (after the real-life death of her voice actor Marcia Wallace). Larry, however, is the only character who originated in season 1 to be killed off.

The Simpsons season 35 is currently airing on Fox. If you're in the mood for a rewatch, check out our picks of the best Simpsons episodes to press play on today.