Zombies take over San Diego

The world’s largest fan convention bid a poignant farewell to the star of the most successful show in cable TV history on Friday as zombies took over San Diego Comic-Con.

An extensive line-up of stars descended on the city’s sprawling convention center to whet appetites for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and its sister show “Fear the Walking Dead.”

The departure of British actor Andrew Lincoln, who has appeared as Sheriff Rick Grimes in almost every episode since the 2010 pilot, has been an open secret since May, confirmed inadvertently by executive producer Robert Kirkman.

But the official announcement was reserved for Comic-Con, an annual pop culture celebration that attracts more than 100,000 devotees to southern California, many in elaborate costumes, every July.  “There seems to be an elephant in the room. This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes,” Lincoln, 44, told the packed 6,500-seat Hall H, prompting a dismayed murmur that spread throughout the arena.

“I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show. I promise not to cry. I’ve done enough crying on screen,” Lincoln promised. Based on a comic book of the same name by a trio of writers including one of the show’s executive producers Robert Kirkman, the post-apocalyptic zombie-ridden vision of the United States portrayed in “The Walking Dead” has proved uniquely resonant. Dwarfing competition like HBO’s “Game of Thrones” in the US, it has the highest total viewership in cable history and, crucially, the highest audience of 18-49s for any kind of US television between 2013 and 2017.