A main character was killed off on the latest episode of Family Guy, leaving fans shocked.

The writers of the show chose to cut short the life of Brian, the enlightened and witty family dog who best understood Stewie and was, in some way, his mentor and closest friend. Brian's life came to an abrupt end when he was hit by a speeding car on the road in the episode that aired Nov. 24.

In the farewell clip, Brian is seen bloodied and badly bruised on an operation table in the hospital as the family visits him. His last words to all of them are played out to the flashback of the car ramming into him, as a shocked Stewie helplessly looks from afar.

"You've given me a wonderful life, I love you all," he said. The clip then rewinds to happier days showing Brian with the family.

Brian's exit left a lot of fans disappointed, many who took to Twitter to express their grief.

"This is like the death of an actual dog, devastating." -- @HarryMorland

"In shock today over the tragic news over Brian Griffin's death. He was my favourite on #FamilyGuy #RIP :(" -- Dean

"#RIP Brian Griffin Family Guy won't be same wit out u" -- J.R.

The executive producer of the show, Steve Callaghan, explained the writers' decision to get rid off a main character in an interview with E! Online.

"We started talking about what the next couple episodes could be and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters," he said.

Speaking about choosing to kill Brian and not other family members, the producer said it seemed less painful to have the family pet exit the show. Losing a human member might have been way more traumatic.

"It seemed more in the realm of reality that a dog would get hit by a car, than if one of the kids died," he said. "As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet."

While the writers felt Brian was the best pick, fans might disagree.


Family Guy airs Sundays 9 p.m. E.T on Fox.

Watch the special farewell for Brian:

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