Brian Griffin Family Guy
In loving memory of Brian Griffin Fox/ IBTimes

“Family Guy” fans were in revolt Monday after one of their most beloved characters, the family pet Brian Griffin, was killed off. Creator Seth MacFarlane received the brunt of the criticism, with many beckoning for scapegoat character Meg, who is voiced by Mila Kunis, to have been killed off instead of the witty, usually martini-drinking dog.

Even worse, the canine character might be gone for good. Many were hoping that the dog’s death would just be a fluke, that the magic of Hollywood would be able to bring him back with a special elixir, but all hopes may soon be tarnished. TMZ reported that the new dog that was brought in to replace Brian has already been booked for several episodes.

“Sopranos” star Tony Sirico has landed the voice of Vinnie the Dog after a car hit Brian and he succumbed to his injuries. Stewie, the talking baby, tried to go back in time to save his friend, but he had just recently taken apart his time machine.

Sirico has already voiced nearly six episodes, TMZ said, so it doesn’t seem likely that Brian will be coming back soon -- or ever. The actor, who played Soprano family mobster Paulie Walnuts, isn’t happy about the dog’s death, his rep told the news site, since the death of any character is sad.

It’s not exactly clear why Brian was killed off the show after 11 seasons, but producers reportedly said it was to change things up. Either way, fans aren’t taking it well. “Brian Griffin,” “Family Guy,” and hashtags like “RIPBrian,” all trended on Twitter throughout the day.

The social media site famous for its 140-character messages also created pictures to pay homage to the fallen character. Others, however, chose to lash out at MacFarlane on various forums, with many finding it hard to cope with the passing of Brian.

Check out some of the Twitterati posts below:

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