Tragic story of Simpsons star who was brutally murdered by his wife

The Simpsons fans will often talk about how great those earlier seasons were, and you'll get no argument from us about how magnificent they were.

The cast has remained largely together throughout the years, but there's one voice from those glorious early years who's tragic murder cut short his time on the show.

That would be Phil Hartman, you may remember him from such Simpsons roles as Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz and monorail salesman Lyle Lanley.

In the first 10 seasons of the show he appeared in a full 52 episodes, and lending his voice to a whopping 19 roles.

Of course he's best known for his parts as Springfield's favourite washed-up actor, save for a brief career resurgence in Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!, and the town's least scrupulous law-talking guy.

Hartman's voice was last heard in the episode 'Bart the Mother', near the beginning of season 10, voicing Troy McClure in an instructional video on how to care for bird eggs, but sadly that was the last Simpsons fans would be able to hear of him.

That's because in 1998 Hartman was tragically murdered by his wife Brynn Omdahl.

The couple had married in 1987 and had two children together, but things became fraught between them and Omdahl relapsed into alcohol and cocaine addiction.

Phil Hartman was tragically murdered in 1998. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

On 27 May, 1998, Omdahl had returned to her home and had an argument with Hartman, after which he had gone to bed.

In the early hours of the following morning she took a handgun and shot the 49-year-old in the head, throat and chest, killing him instantly.

She then drove to the house of a friend, Ron Douglas, and confessed to murdering Hartman, showing him the gun she'd used, but Douglas did not initially believe her until they went back to her home and he saw Hartman's body.

Upon seeing Hartman's body, Douglas called the police to inform them of the murder.

Omdahl also called another friend and confessed to the murder a second time.

Police arrived and escorted the couple's children out of the house, while Omdahl locked herself in a bedroom and died by suicide by gunshot.

Hartman's final episode on The Simpsons carried a tribute to his memory. (20th Century Fox)

The police said that 'domestic discord' was the cause of Hartman's death.

The ending to 'Bart the Mother' carried a tribute to Hartman's memory, and when Simpsons creator Matt Groening decided to make Futurama he had planned the character of Zapp Brannigan to be voiced by Hartman.

The character would instead be voiced by Billy West, who also provided the voice of Fry on the show and said that the character's first name of Philip had been done in tribute to Hartman.

However, Groening later said that the name had come from his father Homer Philip Groening.