Roseanne Barr's eponymous character has been killed off in the first episode of The Connors, the rebooted version of her now-cancelled show.

Barr was fired from sitcom Rosanne after sending a racist tweet in which she compared Valerie Jarrett, a former Barack Obama aide, to an ape.

The actress later apologised and said she had written the tweet while under the influence of the sleep-inducing medicine Ambien.

Image: The Connors picks up three weeks after Roseanne's funeral. Pic: ABC

The Connors centres around the working class American family featured in Roseanne but with Barr's character written out.

In the first episode of the show it is revealed Barr's character died from an overdose of painkillers she took for a knee injury.


Roseanne: I made a mistake

After the show, Barr released a joint statement with her Rabbi saying the method of her character's death "lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show".

"After repeated and heartfelt apologies, the network was unwilling to look past a regrettable mistake, thereby denying the twin American values of both repentance and forgiveness," the statement added.

Barr also tweeted separately: "I ain't dead, b*****s!!!!"

The first episode addresses the opioid crisis in America, which in 2016 claimed 42,249 lives.

ABC initially cancelled Roseanne but then transformed it into a spin-off.

Roseanne's husband is still played by John Goodman and the action starts three weeks after her funeral.