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Watch the SDCC Moment When Andrew Lincoln Addresses His ‘The Walking Dead’ Exit

By now, fans are well aware that The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln will be parting ways with the series after the upcoming ninth season.

During The Walking Dead’s San Diego Comic-Con Hall H panel presentation, Lincoln was finally able to address the show’s fans directly. He addressed the crowd by saying, “This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes. I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show. I’m particularly fond of the people who watch this show,” before adding, “My relationship with Rick Grimes is far from over.”

It was an emotional moment, for sure, and Lincoln was clearly doing all he could to keep the messaging light-hearted. AMC has just released the video footage from the panel of the moment where Lincoln addresses the crowd.

Take a look at the video below, and be sure you have some tissues handy.

In addition to Lincoln’s departure, The Walking Dead will undergo some pretty significant changes in its upcoming ninth season. For one, Angela Kang, who has been with the show for years as a Co-Executive Producer and long-time writer, was promoted to Showrunner for the ninth season.  She will be taking the reigns from Scott Gimple who will now be Chief Content Officer overseeing the entire Walking Dead franchise including both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.

Additionally, it has been reported that Lauren Cohan (who plays Maggie Greene (Rhee)) will also be leaving the series before the season’s end. Cohan was recently cast in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier which has been picked up to series during the 2018 television upfronts. Both Cohan and Lincoln are said to appear in just six episodes in the upcoming season.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC with all-new episodes starting on October 7th.

What do you think about Andrew Lincoln’s touching message to the fans? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.