Today, The Simpsons fans woke up to the terrible news that Marcia Wallace, voice of Mrs. Krabappel, had died at the age of 70 in her Los Angeles home. News of her death has touched more than just fans of The Simpsons as Wallace has appeared on television for decades dating back to her role on The Bob Newhart Show.

In the wake of her death, the question of what will happen to her character on The Simpsons has come up and executive producer Al jean addressed what will happen today. According to Jean, The Simpsons plan on honoring Wallace’s legacy by retiring the character of Mrs. Krabappel.

Per Jean’s statement on Wallace’s death:

“I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace. She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character”

This isn’t the first time the real life death of an actor has caused a beloved character to be retired. When Phil Hartman was murdered in 1998, The Simpsons retired the characters he played including the much loved Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure.

Mrs. Krabappel has been in our lives for over 20 years and Marcia Wallace has been there even longer. It’s only fitting that the character be retired but it’s unknown when this will be addressed on the show.