The Simpson kills off Krusty the Clown's dad

The Simpsons lost one of their long-standing characters after a long period of speculation, after Krusty the Clown's dad was killed off.

Rumours were rife that the iconic clown was set to die, but it was his dad Rabbi Hyman Krustofski who bid viewers farewell during the 26th season's premiere episode, the Independent reported.

The Rabbi died painlessly after just eight minutes while talking to Krusty in the episode, which opened with Bart Simpson writing "Spoiler alert: unfortunately my dad doesn't die" on the blackboard during the credits.

Al Jean, executive producer had said days before the premiere that the impending death "may have become overhyped and that he wanted to make sure people knew what we were trying to do is an emotional episode.