The Simpsons has seen a lot of recurring and one-time characters come and go. The reasons for their departures vary, but now and again, a character actually dies. Sometimes this is done in a comedic way, while other times it is nothing short of tragic. This is usually meant to teach the audience a lesson or give some sort of insightful message.
Regardless, many fan-favorite characters have passed away, leaving audiences shocked, confused, and sometimes downright angry. While they may have died in the show, they still live on in fans' hearts, and will for many years to come. Which Simpsons characters who died had the most impactful exits due to how tragic or heartbreaking their passing was for fans?
The Simpsons
- Release Date
- December 17, 1989
- Cast
- Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer
- Seasons
- 36
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Studio
- Fox
11 Amber Simpson
Season 18, Episode 2 (2006)
Amber (Nancy Cartwright / Pamela Hayden) is a sex worker whom Homer mistakenly marries after getting drunk in Vegas. Homer is still very much devoted to Marge (Julie Kavner), and makes every effort to annul his marriage to Amber, but to no avail. Eventually, he tricks her into marrying his father.
What makes her death tragic are the brutally realistic circumstances of her death. She dies at a very young age of an accidental overdose. While not the most climactic death in the series, it is one that is a little too real, and very, very morbid.
10 Beatrice Simmons
Season 2, Episode 17 (1991)
Beatrice Simmons (Audrey Meadows) is Abe Simpson's (Dan Castellaneta) girlfriend whom she meets at the Springfield Retirement Castle. They have a deep, meaningful relationship, and Abe seems truly happy for once. However, his son isn't convinced that Beatrice is actually real. Homer keeps dragging Abe along to outings that he does not want to go to. Heck, he even tells his son he has other plans for the day, namely to take Beatrice out on a date.
But Homer never believes him, thinking it to be all a figment of Abe's imagination. Towards the end of the episode, Abe arrives back from one of Homer's day trips, excited to meet up with his lover. But he is sadly informed that Beatrice has died of a burst ventricle. Abe states that even though this is the official cause of death, he knows that she died of a broken heart after he unwillingly stood her up. It's a sad moment for an underrated Simpsons character, with most likely forgetting Beatrice even existed (ouch).
9 Snowball II
Season 15, Episode 9 (2004)
Losing a pet is never easy, a fact that any pet owner will attest to. But it's a lot harder when the pet dies a sudden death at a relatively young age, like in the case of the Simpsons' cat, Snowball II. The inappropriately named black cat had become a staple of the Simpsons family, appearing all the way back in the very first episode. Though she doesn't really say or do much, it feels wrong to see the family without her and their dog, Santa's Little Helper.
Snowball II is tragically run over by a car one fateful day, causing Lisa (Yeardley Smith) to plunge into immense sorrow. What makes it so sad is the fact that Snowball II had a very special bond with Lisa, and she is, of course, devastated by the cat's passing.
8 Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky
Season 26, Episode 1 (2014)
Rabbi Krustofsky (Jackie Mason / Dan Castellaneta) is Krusty the Clown's (Castellaneta) estranged father. His disappointment with his son is evident, and the rift between the two is very much felt between Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa.
His death is tragic due to the fact that only a few episodes before, him and his son finally make amends with each other. Ultimately, the Rabbi passes away after expressing his disappointment with his son's comedy career once more. The complicated father-son relationship here might hit close to home for some viewers, especially those who have come to empathize with the complicated Krusty the Clown.
7 Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico
Season 22, Episode 9 (2011)
It's not too easy to feel bad for Fat Tony (Joe Mantegna) since he's a mob boss, and has done some pretty atrocious things throughout the run of the show, including murder. But it turns out the guy actually has a heart. He winds up dying of an emotion-induced heart attack after he is betrayed by Homer (Dan Castellaneta), someone whom he trusted deeply after becoming good buddies with him. It actually causes Homer to feel a substantial amount of guilt about the incident.
Seeing Homer sad is always bound to make the audience sad, especially since Homer did kind of see Tony as a friend. The true tragedy here is when audiences realize Tony has made himself vulnerable and open in front of Homer, only to die of a broken heart because of a perceived betrayal. It may not redeem him, but it sure hurts.
6 Maude Flanders
Season 11, Episode 14 (2000)
Maude Flanders (Maggie Roswell) is Ned Flanders' beloved wife. Throughout the series, she is depicted as a very warm, caring person, just like Ned, although Homer finds them and their deeply religious lifestyle annoying. When the Flanders family has an outing to watch an auto race, Maude leaves to go grab some snacks. As this is happening, a group of cheerleaders is loading rolled t-shirts into cannons that they begin firing into the audience, dispensing the free shirts. Maude arrives back to her family, only to be hit with a flying t-shirt. This sends her toppling over the edge of the stands to the ground below. Ned is, of course, devastated.
This situation is made even more tragic due to the sudden nature of the death, and the fact that the Flanders couple has two young children who have now just lost their mother. While not everyone shed a tear for this Simpsons death, most fans were confused and shocked by it, so much so that even in the early online era of the 2000s, it still managed to gain a bit of traction.
5 Frank Grimes
Season 8, Episode 23 (1997)
Frank Grimes (Hank Azaria) famously appears in one of the highest-rated Simpsons episodes ever. He was created as a result of viewers complaining that Homer is the pinnacle of laziness yet always seems to have things work out for him. Enter Frank Grimes, who has had to work extremely hard throughout his difficult life and has nothing to show for it. He is envious and miserable that Homer is coasting on by without a care in the world. All Frank wants is some appreciation, but when it doesn't come, he snaps and flies into a meltdown. This ends with him accidentally electrocuting himself. As his eulogy is read, Homer falls asleep and drowsily says "change the channel, Marge." This causes everyone in attendance to laugh at Homer, even as Grimes is lowered into his grave.
Even on the day of his own funeral, Frank Grimes doesn't get the basic respect that he deserves. That is, quite literally, the final nail in the coffin, and is what makes his death so sad. It's also tragic in the Shakespearean sense, with Frank's very character being representative of tragicomedy in the series
4 Larry Dalrymple
Season 35, Episode 14 (2024)
The most recent death on The Simpsons is also one of its most abrupt and unexpected ones, which was by design. According to co-executive producer Tim Long, Larry Dalrymple's (Phil Hartman) sudden death was meant to shock and awe viewers, which it certainly did. Most fans likely never even knew Larry's name until he dropped dead in Moe's bar, which is sort of the point, as Homer, Moe, Lenny, and Leonard go on a trip to honor him one last time.
The group of friends finds out that Larry actually really liked them and considered himself their friend, even if they never considered him as part of their gang. The fact that no one really knew Larry until his death is the truly tragic part of the situation, with his demise forcing the other characters (as well as audiences) to reconsider their own lives and meaningful connections. It's incredible how the death of such a minor character has stirred reactions and discussions among devastated fans online, further underscoring how effective the plot point was.
3 Bleeding Gums Murphy
Season 6, Episode 22 (1995)
Bleeding Gums (Ron Taylor) is a jazz musician and Lisa's role model. He befriends her all the way back in Season 1 of The Simpsons, and the two are often seen jamming out on their saxophones together. It is unclear exactly how he dies, just that Lisa happens upon him in the hospital, and he dies of his ailment off-screen shortly thereafter. Lisa is emotionally ruined by the death of her friend and personal hero. But towards the end of the episode, he appears in the clouds to jam out with her one last time.
Bleeding Gums' death may have happened offscreen, but it doesn't diminish its effect and, in fact, only magnifies it. Audiences see grief and disbelief through Lisa's young eyes, whose experience with the death of a close friend is likely especially hard to stomach for fans who can relate.
2 Mona Simpson
Season 19, Episode 19 (2008)
Mona (Glenn Close) is Homer's mother, who abandoned him and his father when he was young. This was due to her joining a hippie group and being hunted by the FBI. Despite her decision being made in an effort to protect her family, Homer still resents her for leaving so unexpectedly. So, he is naturally apprehensive about her each time she decides to pop up unannounced. One night, she appears again, only for Homer to express how much he feels betrayed by her. He berates her for leaving and goes to bed in anger. Later that night, Homer thinks he may have been a little too harsh, so he decides to make amends and apologize. He goes to speak to his mom to be confronted with the fact that Mona has passed away in her sleep.
Losing a parent is never easy, but it stings a little more knowing that the last thing Mona knew was that her son resented her. This is one of those surprisingly deep episodes of The Simpsons that explores mature subjects like grief, messy adult relationships, and deep regret that can haunt someone for the rest of their life.
1 Edna Krabbapel
Season 32, Episode 12 (2021)
This one is tragic because it is connected to real life. The voice actor for Mrs. Krabbapel, Marcia Wallace, really did die, causing the showrunners to retire the character. While Wallace died of pneumonia in 2013, the showrunners didn't give her character a proper send-off until 2021, as they felt she deserved one and hadn't had one yet.
The end of the episode makes this especially emotional, as a montage of Edna's best moments is played at the end of the episode. It is also revealed that even the students who apparently reviled her the most express how much they miss her teaching. Worse still, she was previously married to Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer), who has become a widower once again. It's an episode that had most fans trying and failing to hold back the tears and a beautiful tribute the both the character and the person who made her possible all these years.