Photo: Bobby Bank / WireImage
When actress Marcia Wallace died in 2013, The Simpsons decided that his character, the cynical and heavy smoker Edna Krabappel, would also die within the universe of the animated series. According Variety, Yet, Simpsons executive producer Al Jean felt that the show was unable to give the actress and her vocal talents the farewell they deserved at the time. And that’s why The Simpsons she chose to bring Wallace’s voice back to the show’s most recent episode, in honor of her school teacher Miss Lonelyhearts who became Ned Flanders’ second wife for the last time.
In Sunday’s episode, entitled “Diary Queen”, Bart finds Mrs. Krabappel’s diary and finds out “how much she really believed in him – and that inspires him”. The show used two previously recorded lines from Wallace, who won an Emmy in 1992 for his work on the show. The estate of the late actress approved and was compensated for the reuse of the lines.
“Unfortunately, it was an amazing passage,” says Jean of Wallace’s death. “I didn’t know that she was so sick until very close to when it happened. So, we never had a chance to say goodbye to her on the show, and this is a small attempt to do that. And, you know, she was so loved by everyone who worked on The Simpsons, that we just wanted to give her one last moment of the show in her memory. That’s it, nothing more, but we think she was the best. “
The last previous episode with Wallace’s voice acting after his death was “The Man Who Grew Too Much”, 2014. And with that, Jean says, “this will be his last appearance”. The EP explains: “We just wanted to send the character properly, in a way that I think is not trying to be an explorer.”