Every Simpsons Character Who Was Killed Off for Good

Just as people come and go in real life, characters on The Simpsons often meet their end. Sometimes, this is in a non-canon story and the character is fine by the next episode. There are even a few times when a character was said to have died and can even be seen as a ghost, only for them to be alive and well in later episodes without any explanation. A few one-shot characters don’t even survive their introductory episode.

The Simpsons

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Seasons

35

Studio

Fox

However, there have been a few times when a recurring character appeared on the show ended up dying and didn’t come back in later episodes. Sometimes, the character is technically dead and remains so, but has been replaced by a lookalike, also making it seem like nothing has changed beyond an occasional reference. Other times, a character is killed off to add drama to a story. There are also a few times a character dies because the actor who voiced them died in real life and the showrunners wanted to pay their respect.

9 Snowball II

Death: S15 E9 “I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot”

Snowball II is Lisa’s beloved black cat. Famously, Snowball II is named after a previous cat owned by the Simpson family. Unfortunately, Snowball II would eventually meet her predecessor’s fate.

Lisa’s Actually Had Quite a Few Cats

“I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot” sees the unfortunate cat get run over by Dr. Hibbert, which soon cuts to Snowball’s funeral. In a macabre twist, Lisa then briefly goes through a series of cats who all die in sudden ways. Lisa accepts that she isn’t meant to own a cat. However, the Crazy Cat Lady soon appears like an angel of mercy, and throws a cat resembling Snowball II towards Lisa.

When Snowball V survives a similar traffic accident unscathed, Lisa takes this as a sign that she’s a “good luck kitty,” allowing her to embrace her new feline friend. To save money on a new dish, Lisa, and the show, decide to pretend the whole incident never happened, treating the cat as if it were Snowball II.

8 Maude Flanders

Death: S11 E14 “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily”

For years, Maude Flanders was the Simpsons’ neighbor, being Ned Flanders’ wife and the mother of Rod and Todd. However, “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily” killed off the character when a T-Shirt cannon, aiming at Homer, accidentally blasted her off the stands at a racetrack. She is already buried by the story’s midpoint and the episode ends with a possible new love-interest for Ned.

Maude Was Always There…& We Thought She Always Would Be

Allegedly, Maude’s death was a result of her voice actress Maggie Roswell leaving the series due to a pay dispute and having to commute from Denver to Los Angeles to record her voice. While Roswell would eventually return to the series, Maude’s death was permanent.

That said, Maude has continued to appear on the show, though usually limited to flashbacks, non-canon stories, or as a spirit, with her death irrevocably canon. Notably, one story set in the future implies that Ned will eventually remarry her ghost. “Flanders’ Ladder” even features Bart having a nightmare where Maude’s restless spirit wants revenge on Homer for killing her.

7 Rabbi Krustofski

Death: S26 E1 “Clown in the Dumps”

Rabbi Hyman Krustofski is the father of Krusty the Clown, who was once known as Herschel Krustofsky. Originally wanting his son to follow in his footsteps, he originally disowned him over his dream of becoming a clown. While the Simpson children would help father and son reconcile, their relationship still had a few rough patches at times.

Oh, My Papa…

Notably, in “Clown in the Dumps,” Hyman died right before he could say if he thought his son was funny or not. In the end, Krusty learns that one of his father’s favorite rabbis quoted his own jokes, getting him to realize his father thought he was funny in his own way.

The promotions for the episode, which often featured briefly Rabbi Krustofski, heavily advertised the upcoming death of a character. A few viewers were able to figure out who it was, both from the title of the episode and guessing the death of such a minor recurring character wouldn’t too heavily effect the show.

Despite his passing, Rabbi Krustofski still continued to make appearances on the series, such as in flashbacks or as an angel or a ghost. Notably, the holiday special, “The Nightmare After Krustmas,” briefly has a scene where Krusty imagines his father as a parody of Olaf from Frozen.

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6 Fat Tony

Death: S22 E9 “Donnie Fatso”

Don Marion Anthony D’Amico is a local mobster in Springfield better known by the alias, “Fat Tony.” After being a recurring character for years, the character was surprisingly killed off in the episode, “Donnie Fatso,” which sees Homer attempt to infiltrate the Mafia while working off a criminal charge for the FBI.

Of Course, “The Family” Had Family…

Before the story’s end, however, Tony’s cousin “Fit Tony” came to Springfield and took his place. The stress of taking over his late cousin’s job, however, drove him to put on weight, earning him the “Fat Tony” moniker, almost making it seem like the original character was still around.

At one point, it was revealed that the original Tony had a son, Michael, who dreamed of being a chef and briefly befriended Lisa in the episode, “The Mook, The Chef, The Wife and Her Homer.” Michael was notably used to highlight the change in the status quo in “The Yellow Badge of Cowardge,” where he was addressed as Fat Tony’s “nephew” instead of his son.

5 Mona Simpson

Death: S19 E9 “Mona Leaves-a”

Mona Simpson is Homer’s mother. As established in “Mother Simpson,” Mona got caught up in the counter-culture of the late 1960s, becoming a protestor and earning the wrath of Mr. Burns. After being identified, she eventually had to go underground to protect her family. Through the years, Homer was portrayed as having believed his mother had died.

Though She Lives On In Homer’s Dreams

However, Mona would eventually meet her demise in the episode, “Mona Leaves-a.” Homer gets fed up with the cycle of his mother coming and leaving his life and has problems forgiving her, but lets her spend the night. Unfortunately, when he tries to apologize to her, she’s revealed to have died with her eyes wide open.

However, Mona still lives on in Homer’s memory, as seen in the episode, “How I Wet Your Mother,” where the family briefly “reunites” with her in Homer’s dreams. “Love is in the N2-O2-Ar-CO2-Ne-He-CH4” also shows that Abe still dreams of her, too, albeit an admittedly heavily romanticized version of her that still loved him.

4 Amber Simpson

Death: S18 E2 “Jazzy and the Pussycats”

Amber Pai Gow Simpson was a woman Homer Simpson briefly married in Las Vegas while heavily intoxicated, while her friend Ginger married Ned Flanders. Homer and Ned initially abandoned their “Vegas wives,” agreeing not to tell their respective families back home.

Also Known as “Malt Liquor Mommy”

Amber and Ginger eventually tracked Homer and Ned down in Springfield, where they infiltrated themselves into their respective husbands’ lives. Unable to obtain an annulment, the family eventually tricked Amber into marrying Homer’s father Abe, driving her off alongside Ginger, who couldn’t stand the Flanders.

“Jazzy and the Pussycats” opens up with Amber’s funeral, where she was revealed to have died after overdosing at a theme park.

RELATED: 10 Best Simpsons Parody Episodes That Lampooned Other Shows

3 “Bleeding Gums” Murphy

Death: S6 E22 “‘Round Springfield”

“Bleeding Gums” Murphy was a jazz musician who served as Lisa Simpson’s role model. Lisa befriended him in “Moaning Lisa,” after she briefly ran away and jammed out with him on the streets.

When the Jazzman’s Testifyin’

Lisa reunites with him at a hospital in “‘Round Springfield.” only for him to die on the night of her recital. Lisa strives to keep his memory alive and Bart grants her wish by buying his album, which is played by a local jazz station. A lightning bolt even ends up causing the broadcast to reach even every radio in Springfield. The story ends with Lisa reuniting with Murphy’s spirit in the clouds, as well as James Earl Jones and a few of his famous characters, and the two play “Jazzman” together.

Later episodes revealed that Murphy was survived by a few relatives, such as a nephew who appeared in “Lisa Gets the Blues” and a son who appeared in “The Sound of Bleeding Gums.”

2 Edna Krabappel

Death: S25 E13 “The Man Who Grew Too Much”

Edna Krabappel was introduced as Bart Simpson’s teacher at Springfield Elementary and was often portrayed as a cynical yet sympathetic character. For a good chunk of the series, Edna had a “will-they-or-won’t-they” storyline with Principal Seymour Skinner, even coming close to marrying him. However, she left him at the altar in “My Big Fat Geek Wedding” after learning he had cold feet, effectively ending their relationship. In later episodes, she ended up marrying Ned Flanders.

After the passing of her voice actress Marcia Wallace, it was decided to retire the character, revealing Krabappel-Flanders had died offscreen. “The Man Who Grew Too Much” had both Ned and her student Nelson admit that they miss her. “Left Behind” saw Ned honor her memory by taking a teaching job, briefly serving as Bart’s teacher. In “My Way or the Highway to Heaven,” she notably appears in Heaven.

1 Larry Dalrymple

Death: S35, E15 “Cremains of the Day”

Lawrence “Larry” Dalrymple. was a character frequently seen at Moe’s Tavern as a patron. For much of the series’ run, very little was revealed about Larry, although he and fellow barfly, the bespectacled Sam, were presumed to have been friends. Larry rarely had any speaking lines, though he notably defines his and Homer’s relationship as “colleague[s]” in “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer).”

All the Lonely Larry’s…

Larry’s biggest role was arguably the story of his death, “Cremains of the Day,” which revealed many things about the quiet barfly. His mother, Iris Dalrymple, was introduced, who revealed that Larry often talked about the other patrons at Moe’s Tavern, who he viewed as his friends, even calling them “Moe’s Bros.” In a surprising twist, Larry also turns out to have been a jewel smuggler for Fat Tony.

Homer, Carl, Lenny, and Moe are horrified upon realizing this, having lost their chance to get to know him. They decide to honor Larry by scattering his ashes at a waterfall seen in his journal, before realizing it was a picture of Moe’s Tavern.