‘The Simpsons’ Kills Off Supporting Character Who Has Been on Show Since the Start

Simpsons characters welcome guests at the Fox Studios in Los Angeles on May 7, 2009, before a dedication ceremony for the first day of issue of the Simpsons' stamps by the U.S. Postal Service. Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

This week saw “The Simpsons” kill off a long-standing supporting character who, while never taking a prominent role in the series, has featured on the show for almost 35 years.

Larry the Barfly, one of the serially intoxicated characters on the show—and typically seen next to fellow drunk Barney Gumble at the bar in Moe’s Tavern—made his debut on the show in December 1989, in the Christmas-themed “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire”—the hit series’ premiere.