Ruthless oil baron J.R. Ewing’s exit from "Dallas" will bring back memories of the famous “Who shot J.R.?” episode of an earlier version of the show that created a sensation in the 1980s, reports the New York Post.

People will be asking "Who killed J.R.?" — an update on the catchphrase from the 1980s, when the character played by Larry Hagman was shot but survived. The character is being written out of the TNT show because of Hagman’s death last year.

“We all felt having J.R. die of natural causes would have been completely inappropriate, not only to the character, but also to Larry Hagman,” said executive producer Cynthia Cidre. She spoke to TV Guide, which will publish details about the show in its new issue, the story says.

Cidre and the show’s writers had Ewing’s murder approved by co-star Patrick Duffy, who plays Bobby Ewing, and Hagman’s son, Preston, the piece adds.

TNT’s "Who killed J.R.?" storyline will run across several episodes, with a revelation in Ewing’s will, the story notes.