Marcia Wallace - the voice of Bart Simpson's teacher - dies aged 70
Marcia Wallace, the voice of Edna Krabappel - Bart Simpson's jaded, chain-smoking schoolteacher on the animated show The Simpsons - has died. She was 70.
Marcia Wallace
1942-2013
Marcia Wallace, the voice of Edna Krabappel - Bart Simpson's jaded, chain-smoking schoolteacher on the animated show - has died. She was 70.
"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace," read a statement from executive producer Al Jean posted on Facebook.
"She was beloved by all at and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character," Jean wrote.
Wallace's career in show business included her role as a sassy receptionist on the 1970s TV comedy , and guest roles in 1980s and 1990s shows like , and . In 1992 she won a Primetime Emmy award for her work on .
Harry Shearer - who plays Simpsons voices including greedy tycoon Montgomery Burns and two of Krabappel's love interests, school principal Seymour Skinner and Simpsons neighbour Ned Flanders - took to Twitter to share his grief.
"So sad to learn - through Twitter, first - of the passing of the wonderful Marcia Wallace. Sorely missed already," Shearer wrote.
Jean said the show had been considering staging the death of another of the Simpsons characters, but not Edna Krabappel.
"Marcia's passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her," Jean wrote on his Facebook page.
Wallace was "sweet, funny, not at all pretentious," Jean told the . "You fall in love with these people when you see them as characters on television, but when you met Marcia you loved her even more."
"I don't intend to have anyone else play Mrs Krabappel," Jean added. "I think Bart will get a new teacher."
