AceShowbiz -

After all the teases and speculations, the character who's killed off on "The Simpsons" season 26 premiere was finally revealed on Sunday night, September 28. Showrunner Al Jean previously warned fans not to expect the death of an "iconic" character, but the story's indeed still emotional.

In the season opener, Krusty bid farewell to his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski. "I had suggested that we do an episode where Krusty's father passes away and the last word he says to Krusty is, 'eh.' I thought it would be funny and sad to deal with that being the last thing your father says to you," Jean tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Jean adds that the Rabbi's death will be "a good father-son story" as it brings a great impact on Krusty. "I just thought it would be a good story about someone who's had a tough relationship with his father - having Krusty's father die without him ever getting that warmth or connection he really wanted, then finally finding it in a surprising way," the show's executive producer tells TVLine.

Saying that "one of the reasons Krusty's been such a loose cannon is because his father disapproved of him, and he never felt like he got that sort of love that he wanted," Jean explains the impact of the Rabbi's death, "One of the few changes that we would make is that he would actually be a little bit more of a generous person. He is who he is because he thought his father had never given him the respect that he wanted and actually [his father] did, so I think Krusty will be a little more confident and a little more generous."

After all the buzz, Jean thinks fans won't be disappointed after finding out which character died on the show. "Do people really want to see Krusty die? I don't think they do!" he claims. "We've been very careful; everything we've said has been very true in terms of who dies. So if you thought about it, you'll get it right and I don't think you'll be surprised or disappointed. The way that we had [Krusty and his father] reconcile - even though they can't -I was really happy with the way we got the emotion we were going for."

Despite the death, Jean says the door is open for the character to return. "We told the actor that didn't mean the end of his part in the show. He certainly could come back as a memory of Krusty," he says, adding that they haven't planned it, "but it's likely."