Edna Krabappel Has Officially Retired: R.I.P. Marcia Wallace

We’ll miss your laugh most of all. Ha!

In what is tragically our second sad farewell of the day, we’re taking a moment to remember the work of Marcia Wallace, who died on Friday, at the age of 70. Despite first hitting the big time as the bubbly receptionist on The Bob Newhart Show, she will always be remembered by our generation as the endlessly sardonic, often drunk, and occasionally seductive (at least, if you’re Seymour Skinner or the drummer from Aerosmith) 4th grade teacher Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons, the role for which Wallace received an Emmy in 1992.

Executive Producer Al Jean has confirmed that the character of Edna will be retired out of respect for Wallace, which is clearly a smart move – who on Earth could ever match those brilliantly world-weary tones? It isn’t the first time a beloved Simpsons character has been forced into early retirement by an untimely death – both Lionel Hutz (who has argued in front of every judge in the state – often as a lawyer) and the star of such movies as Earwigs, Ew and Man Vs Nature: The Road To Victory, Troy McClure, were retired after voice actor Phil Hartman’s death in 1998.

It’s to be assumed that Bart will be getting himself a new teacher next season. But would Edna expect anyone else to be able to control Bart Simpson? In a word: “Ha!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLNkbRvraho

Photos by Michael Buckner / Getty Images | Licensed to Alpha Media Group 2013