The ninth season of The Walking Dead, which begins October 7 on AMC, is the end of the line for Andrew Lincoln, who’s played the show’s main character since it began in 2010. As sheriff Rick Grimes, Lincoln has been the face of a massively successful franchise, and an integral part of the drama’s story line. Lincoln attended his last red carpet premiere with his castmates on Thursday night, a bittersweet event filled with joy and sadness.

“It’s a very emotional and rough night for me,” Lincoln told reporters at the show’s Season 9 premiere party in Los Angeles. “This has been the most extraordinary experience of my career. The people that I have worked with on this show have become my extended family, and, without a doubt, I’m going to miss them the most. The real love and respect for them makes it hard to say farewell. It was a difficult decision for me to make—to leave the show—but the right decision.”

The British actor is exiting the series in order to return to London, where his wife and two children reside. The Walking Dead shoots about seven months a year in Georgia, a schedule that’s kept Lincoln away from his family for long periods of time over the past eight years straight.

“I get why he’s leaving,” said Norman Reedus, who plays fan favorite Daryl Dixon on the show. “I have a son myself, and I’m constantly going back and forth to go see him, and it’s hard to do that. He’s got a beautiful family, and he needs to be with them. Family is the most important thing in life, so you can’t be mad at him for leaving. But I’m going to miss the hell out of him every day. He’s like a brother, and he’s a very important person to me."

Reedus said he’s going to miss spending almost every lunch break in his trailer with Lincoln, talking about life and playing games of backgammon. Danai Gurira—who plays Rick’s katana-wielding partner, Michonne—is going to miss his leadership, and his endless kindness in helping cast members when they’re in need.

“You don’t meet people like Andy Lincoln often. He’s really the quintessential leader,” said the actress. “He’s so loving and supportive. He wants you to succeed, and he’s happy for you when you do. He makes you a better actor, and teaches you to be better to others. His form of leadership makes you feel immediately part of the family. I’m going to miss his generosity, his presence, and his energy. It’s been a beautiful journey, and an honor to work with Andy Lincoln.”

At the premiere, the cast and creators kept mum about whether Rick will die, like his wife and son did in earlier seasons, or if he’ll be kept alive so that he might appear again in the future. Seth Gilliam, who plays Father Gabriel, did say he was pleasantly surprised when he first read the script and found out how Lincoln leaves the AMC zombie show.

“I thought, ‘Wow! That is really cool,’” Gilliam said with a coy grin. “I think it’s going to be really trippy for the audience.” Executive producer Greg Nicotero added that he and the show’s new show-runner, Angela Kang, wanted to give Rick an appropriate finale. “We wanted to write him out by giving Rick a send-off that paid tribute to his entire journey on the show, and in a way that was worthy of his character.”

As for Lincoln, he described his final season as “breathtaking,” mixed with “kick-ass scenes with horses.”

“I’m very proud of the work we’ve done this season, and where the story is going,” said Lincoln. “In the episode I leave, it launches and makes the rest of the season even more incredible and so beautiful. One that you have never seen before.”