The Simpsons: All the Characters Who Have Died

Fox's The Simpsons is known for its lovable characters (oh Bart, you adorable scamp!), its sharp humor (in early seasons, anyway), and its durability (it's TV's longest-running scripted primetime series by a long shot). But it should also be known for its rampant murder of its characters! 

Though not in the class of something like Game of Thrones, The Simpsons has culled several beloved Springfieldians over its run. Here, we collect the major The Simpsons characters to have died on the show. Grab a Krusty brand tissue and proceed.

Died: "Round Springfield," Season 6, Episode 22

Cause: Illness

Local jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy befriended Lisa over their shared love of music and gave her life advice about school, playing the saxophone, and more. But his biggest impact was as The Simpson's first major character death, when he died of an unknown illness in the sixth season. His death was absolutely gutting for Lisa, but also for the audience, who didn't know a cartoon could pack such an emotional punch. It wouldn't be the last death on The Simpsons.

Died: "Homer's Enemy," Season 8, Episode 23

Cause: Electrocution as a result of a nervous breakdown

Technically not a major character in The Simpsons, Frank Grimes makes the list because he and his kin had a lasting impact on the show, and he was referenced multiple times in later episodes. Frank was initially hired as an executive vice president at the Springfield nuclear power plant, but he was later demoted to a low-level position after Mr. Burns forgot he hired him. Following run-ins with Homer's massive incompetence at such an important job, Frank went cuckoo bananas and pretended to be Homer, going so far as to grab onto exposed wires that were labeled "extremely high voltage." He fried himself like a hot dog at a Fourth of July party. Though Frank only appeared in one episode in a living state, The Simpsons writers must have either loved or hated Frank, because his tombstone made several appearances in later episodes. Frank Grimes' son, Frank Grimes Jr., appeared in a Season 14 episode and tried to murder Homer several times to get revenge for his father's death. It didn't work; he was arrested and thrown in the slammer. 

Died: "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily," Season 11, Episode 14

Cause: Fall from grandstands after being blasted in the kisser by a T-shirt cannon

The most shocking death in the entire run of The Simpsons is still Maude's fatal fall at a racetrack in Season 11. Ned Flanders' wife was peppered by bundled up shirts while she was returning from the concession stand, and the impact not only splattered food all over the stands; it splattered Maude all over the pavement after the impact of the shirts sent her tumbling over the rail to her death below. Grim! It's OK; she's with God now. Matt Groening reportedly opted to write Maude off the show because her voice actress, Maggie Roswell, left over a pay dispute. In weird foreshadowing, Maude was seemingly killed in the Season 6 premiere, "Bart of Darkness," when Bart thought he saw evidence that Ned murdered her, but Ned killed one of her house plants while she was at a church camp. 

Died: "I, (Annoyed-Grunt) Bot," Season 15, Episode 9

Cause: Run over by Dr. Hibbert

The Simpson family cat lasted longer than most cats, having been introduced in the series premiere and making it all the way to Season 15. (Yes, there's no real passage of time in this show, but still.) After running over Bart's bike (which Bart intentionally made happen), Dr. Hibbert promised not to be distracted by his Kool & The Gang rearview mirror air freshener again, but still ended up running over Snowball II anyway. Marge replaced Snowball II with two more cats, but they also died. The third didn't, and Lisa named it Snowball II even though it was Snowball V.  

Died: "Jazzy and the Pussycats," Season 18, Episode 2

Cause: Overdose in front of a roller coaster sign

On a trip to Las Vegas with Ned Flanders in the Season 10 episode "Viva Ned Flanders," a drunken Homer Simpson married Amber, a local cocktail waitress. Eight seasons later, it was revealed that Amber died of an overdose, and the Simpsons went to her funeral. Though Amber only appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons — she would later marry Homer's dad — she's been mentioned almost half a dozen times.

Died: "Mona Leaves-a," Season 19, Episode 19

Cause: Old age

Homer's mother wasn't exactly a good mother, having disappeared and reappeared several times in his life (though frequently with good intentions). But in her final episode, she left for good... BY DYING. When Homer tried to make amends with her in "Mona Leaves-a," he was left without closure after she died in his living room staring at the fireplace. Woof. She was cremated, and her ashes helped stop Mr. Burns' missile packed with nuclear waste from getting launched into the Amazon. Only on The Simpsons, folks. 

Died: "Donnie Fatso," Season 22, Episode 9

Cause: The betrayal of his trusted mafia son, Homer Simpson, which led to cardiac arrest

Fat Tony, the leader of the Springfield mafia who was often seen handing large bags of cash over to Mayor Quimby, made dozens of appearances on The Simpsons before meeting his maker in Season 22. In "Donnie Fatso," Homer went undercover to help the FBI by infiltrating Fat Tony's gang and quickly gained Fat Tony's trust... only to break his heart — literally — when Fat Tony discovered Homer was working for the feds. He died on the spot, though the casual Simpsons fan might not have even noticed. Fat Tony was quickly replaced by his cousin Fit Tony, who was initially a slimmer man but eventually plumped up to be identical to his late cousin and virtually indistinguishable from Fat Tony. Joe Mantegna voices both characters.

Died: "Replaceable You," Season 23, Episode 4

Cause: Mauled to smithereens by a robot seal

The kind and elderly Alice Glick was a neighbor of the Simpsons, and had a notable interaction with Bart in the Season 2 episode "Three Men and a Comic Book," in which she hired Bart to do yard work when he was saving up money. Though Dr. Hibbert allegedly left a set of car keys in her when he was operating on her, that is not how she died. She was killed by a seal robopet created by Martin and Bart when the toys were used at the nursing home to bring joy to its residents. However, local funeral directors reprogrammed the toys to kill, and Alice was a victim. It should be noted that Alice's death is disputed by some fans, as it may be non-canonical, and the character makes some brief appearances in later episodes. But look at the picture above; she's with Jesus in Heaven! That's dead to me.

Died: Season 25, specifics unknown

Cause: Unknown/Character retirement

Edna Krabappel, Bart's elementary school teacher, was retired from the show following the death of voice actor Marcia Wallace on Oct. 25, 2013. There was no send-off for Edna, but Wallace's passing was first recognized in the opening credits chalkboard sequence of the Season 25 episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral." Ned Flanders, who married Edna in Season 23, wore a black armband to commemorate Edna in the Season 25 episode "The Man Who Grew Too Much." Bart's new teacher would become Rayshelle Peyton, voiced by Kerry Washington.

Died: "Clown in the Dumps," Season 26, Episode 1

Cause: Old age (probably)

Krusty the Clown's father made several appearances in The Simpsons, beginning with the Season 3 episode "Like Father, Like Clown." His final appearance as a living being — as much as a cartoon can be living, anyway — was in the Season 26 premiere "Clown in the Dumps." (Four of the episodes he was in had the word "Clown" in the title!) After getting roasted by Sarah Silverman, Krusty asked his father whether he was funny. Hyman's answer, and last word, was simply, "Ehhhhh." He then suddenly died in his chair. Like many deceased characters, he would appear multiple times as a ghost in later episodes.

Died: "Cremains of the Day," Season 35, Episode 15

Cause: Unknown, but something sudden

One of The Simpsons' most tragic characters, Larry was a regular at Moe's Tavern, where he could be found in a daze at the end of the bar deteriorating in the grips of alcoholism. He died as he "lived" — upright on a barstool at Moe's. No cause of death was given, but based on what limited information we have on him, we have to assume it's related to his lifetime of alcohol abuse. Even though Larry has been around since the early days of The Simpsons, we don't know much about him outside of his life at Moe's, except that he had the hots for Marge and enjoyed fishing. R.I.P., Larry!

Died: Unknown

Cause: Unknown

It seems like the writers behind The Simpsons can't make up their minds about whether or not Dr. Marvin Monroe is alive. First made famous in the Season 1 episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home," when he administered electroshock therapy to the Simpsons during a round of family counseling, Monroe seemingly died off screen, as he was sort of a trivia answer to the question "Which popular Simpsons characters have died in the past year?" in Season 7's "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular," to which the answer was "If you said Bleeding Gums Murphy and doctor Marvin Monroe you are wrong, they were never popular." His tombstone was also seen in episodes, and multiple Springfield landmarks were named after him, including the Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital. Yet Monroe appears, in the flesh, at a signing for Marge's book in a Season 15 episode, and says he's been very sick. Later, he is seen as a ghost, alongside the ghosts of several confirmed dead Simpsons characters, in the Season 29 episode "Flanders' Ladder." Simpsons writers, let us help you: He is dead.