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.
However, viewers found out in the series’ latest episode, “Cremains Of The Day,” that Larry had died.
Throughout his presence on the show, Larry remained largely elusive, with little being known about him and his background. The character was voiced by “Spinal Tap” star Harry Shearer, who is also the voice behind several other characters, most notably Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Waylon Smithers, and Reverend Lovejoy.
Larry’s main contribution to the show involved him sitting next to Barney and Homer Simpson at the bar in Moe’s tavern with a downtrodden expression on his face.
It was not until the most recent episode that the character’s full name was revealed as Lawrence Dalrymple. In the episode, Homer and his fellow drinking buddies reminisce about their experiences with Larry while attending his funeral, and realize how little they knew about him. Some die-hard fans were also completely unaware of the character’s name due to the fleeting nature of his appearances.
Larry’s death on the show drew a plethora of comments from fans on social media, many expressing surprise, while others jokingly mocked his absence from the show.
But it wasn’t just viewers who chimed in over the character’s “sad” exit. Simpsons co-writer Matt Selman also posted jokingly on how the show emphasized Larry’s departure as a mere minor character, before paying tribute to the team behind the emotional episode.
“Who will die this Sunday on @TheSimpsons?” he wrote on X, next to a images of Homer, Bart, and Marge juxtaposed with Larry, indicating that the three main characters were there to stay.
Meanwhile, The Simpsons’ account also got in on the fun, posting an image of Homer and Larry sat next to each other in a sports bar in heaven, wings on their backs, while munching away at a table.
Over the years, the show has killed off several characters, including Bleeding Gums Murphy, Maude Flanders, and Fat Tony.
The show has also brought back some characters that had temporarily left, such as “Jacques,” an iconic French bowler voiced by Albert Brooks, who never misses an opportunity to flirt with Marge.
