Springfield Says Goodbye: Veteran Simpsons Character Finally Written Off After 35 Seasons

Fans of The Simpsons just said a final goodbye to one of Springfield’s longtime background characters. In a recent episode that aired on Nov. 16, church organist Alice Glick died unexpectedly during a service.

Alice has been part of the show since the early years. She first showed up in a season 2 episode back in 1991, where Bart did small jobs for her so he could buy a rare comic. Over the decades, she appeared often, first voiced by Cloris Leachman and later by Tress MacNeille.

Her final goodbye came in the season 37 episode called “Sashes to Sashes.” In that story, Springfield Elementary held a memorial for her. During the ceremony, the school discovered that Alice had left her entire estate to support a new music program. It was a simple moment that showed how much the character cared for the town.

This isn’t the first time the show played with the idea of her death. Years ago, in season 22, fans thought she might be gone for good after a strange incident involving a Robopet. She still popped up in later episodes, sometimes alive and sometimes as a ghost. But this time, the show’s team says the decision is final.

Executive producer Tim Long told PEOPLE, “In a sense, Alice the organist will live forever, through the beautiful music she made. But in another, more important sense, yep she’s dead as a doornail.”

After more than three decades in Springfield, Alice Glick’s story has officially come to an end.

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