Warning: Major spoilers ahead!
The end of an era. The 26th season of The Simpsons premiered on Sunday, Sept. 28, and the showrunners made good on their promise to kill off a character in the first episode.
In the premiere entitled "Clown in the Dumps," Krusty the Clown's father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, unexpectedly passed away. Krusty was looking for his father's guidance and approval when the Rabbi died in the middle of their conversation.
Fans had mixed reactions to the death of Krustofski. Executive Producer Al Jean first teased the death plotline last October and some viewers took to Twitter after the episode aired, complaining that Krustofski wasn't a major enough character to garner the hype and anticipation.
"We are doing this story for the same reason we do all others — we think it has a good emotional through line," Jean told The Hollywood Reporter when he first let the news of the death slip. When the "Clown in the Dumps" title of the episode was announced, theories sprung up that Krusty himself would be killed off.
Voiced by both Jackie Mason and Dan Castellaneta, Rabbi Krustofski made his first appearance in the long-running cartoon series in 1991. Mason took home the Emmy award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992 for his work in October 1991's "Like Father, Like Clown" as the Rabbi.
Other characters who've died on the beloved animated series include Ned Flanders' wife Maude, Amber Simpson, and Fat Tony.
