The Simpsons fans are massively confused at final episode before character was killed off after 35 years

The Simpsons fans were left both heartbroken and confused when a beloved character was killed off after 35 years.

The Simpsons has been on our screens for as long as we can remember, with its first episode coming out in December 1989 on American broadcaster Fox.

But after more than three decades, the show has killed off a beloved character in its most recent episode, and people have been left both gutted and baffled.

The victim was none other than Larry the Barfly - aka Larry Dalrymple - a regular at Moe's Tavern and one of Homer's best friends.

During the episode 'Cremains the Day', the famous barfly, who is often seen in the background at Homer's favourite drinking spot, drops dead at the bar.

Following the sad event, bartender Moe, Homer and his pals Lenny and Carl turn up to his funeral, but they realise that they know almost nothing about their 'friend', even though they spent so much time together.

Larry the Barfly has been killed off after 35 years. (Disney)

They felt even worse when Larry's mother, Iris, paid an emotional tribute to her late son at the funeral, saying: "My Lawrence always talked about his best friends, the fellows at Moe’s Tavern.

"It would warm my heart if they came up and shared fond memories of my son."

Following the episode, Simpsons fans took to Reddit to express their confusion over the fact an entire episode was dedicated to Larry.

They also expressed their shock that one other character didn't feature in the memorable ep.

One person posted on Reddit: "Does anyone else find it odd that the Simpsons would give Larry a 'spotlight' episode and not even mention this weirdo once?"

Larry was a staple in Homer's friendship group. (Disney)

Alongside the post, they shared an image of Sam, who is also a barfly at Moe's.

Others agreed, with one writing: "Honestly I didn’t know that barfly’s name was Larry. Like I don’t know the name of the guy in the picture.

"I’ve seen him in a ton of episodes, but I don’t think they ever referred to him by name."

While another said: "Considering that he's (at least from my perspective) the lenny to larry's carl, it seems like a strange choice that he wasn't even shown or referenced.

"However, I think the story benefited from it being centered on just homer, moe, lenny, and carl, as I think the story would have gotten a bit cluttered if there were five (six if you include larry, seven if you add barney into the mix) characters involved."

Following the ep, long-running Simpsons writer Matt Selman credited the team behind the emotional episode: "'Cremains of the Day' — @TheSimpsons episode 765, brilliantly written by John Frink, stunningly co-run by @mrtimlong & daringly directed by Gabriel DeFrancesco."