The Simpsons just killed off a character who's been around for more than three decades. In Sunday's Season 37 episode titled "Sashes to Sashes," Alice Glick, the elderly organist at Springfield's First Church, dies atop her instrument in the middle of a church service. Glick, who first appeared in Season 2 back in 1991, was originally voiced by the late Cloris Leachman and later by Tress MacNeille. She has been a background staple for 34 years, popping up in storylines enough to be familiar to longtime fans, per People.
Some viewers initially thought she'd died in Season 23 episode "Replaceable You," when she was attacked by a robotic baby seal, per USA Today. The episode ended with her dancing in heaven, and she later appeared as a ghost, but she also returned to the series as her usual, alive self. This time, the farewell is final, says executive producer Tim Long. "In a sense, Alice the organist will live forever, through the beautiful music she made," Long says in a statement. "But in another, more important sense, yep she's dead as a doornail."
The episode sees Springfield Elementary holding a memorial for Alice, who left her estate to fund the school's new music program. Fans reacted with a mix of resignation and nostalgia, with one simply posting "RIP Alice Glick," and another suggesting the show was "killing off everyone." Some are still mourning the loss of Larry "the Barfly" Dalrymple, who died in April's "Cremains of the Day" episode. Marge Simpson's death was teased in a flash-forward in the Season 36 finale, but she's still around for now.