Andrew Lincoln Pens A Heartfelt Letter In Relation To His Time As Rick Grimes In ‘The Walking Dead’

Next week will be the very last episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead in which fans can watch Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). The actor who plays Rick has decided to step away from the hit zombie apocalypse series in order to spend more time with his family.

Fans have known for a while now that Andrew Lincoln is leaving the show. However, AMC made the announcement after Episode 3 of The Walking Dead Season 9 that there were only two more episodes left containing Rick Grimes. Episode 4 showed the lead up to Rick’s departure and now fans will find out his fate when Episode 5 airs on Sunday, November 4.

In the lead up to Rick’s final episode, Andrew Lincoln has sent out a letter to select members of the media to show his appreciation for the years of service and dedication to the show, according to Comic Book.

In the letter, Andrew Lincoln thanked the media for seeing past the fact that The Walking Dead was a show about zombies to see the real truth below, the story about the people struggling to survive.

“Despite the high volume of undead, this is actually an ongoing story about what it is to be alive,” the letter to Comic Book read.

“A story of hope, family, and friendship. People with nothing in common discovering that they have everything in common. United in their search for humanity and a place to call home. A story that has perhaps even more relevance now than it did when we began.”

While there were heartfelt moments in the letter, Andrew Lincoln also commented on Rick’s strange journey during The Walking Dead.

“By my own rough count, I’ve killed over 400 zombies during the apocalypse. Lost a horse, found a horse. Lost a girl… that didn’t go well. Ate a dog once. Wore a meat poncho twice. Escaped from a bunch of hipster cannibals. Not to mention I’ve been shot twice, baseball batted, stabbed three times, bit a man’s throat out (I’m sorry — that was weird — and tasted like chicken), and had my cowboy boots resoled… 12 times.”

Andrew concluded the letter by saying he was looking forward to media’s further coverage of The Walking Dead and told fans to “keep calm and carry a red machete.”

Season 9 of The Walking Dead returns to AMC with Episode 5 (titled “What Comes After”) on Sunday, November 4. The synopsis for what is billed as Rick Grimes’ final episode is below.

“Rick is forced to face the past as he struggles to maintain the safety of the communities and protect the future he and Carl envisioned.”