The Walking Dead returned to TV screens on Sunday night after months of agonising for fans over last season’s cliffhanger finale.

The end of season six saw Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character Negan bludgeoning somebody to death with a bat, but without revealing who his victim was.

He was seen at the end of that episode towering over 11 main characters who were kneeling down at his feet.

The Walking Dead
The wait is over for The Walking Dead’s cliffhanger (AMC/YouTube screengrab)

Fans were left having to wait months to discover who had been mercilessly killed, with the likes of Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) all up for the chop.

The mystery is now over for lovers of the post-apocalyptic zombie drama, but its thrilling return has now left them utterly devastated to learn who exactly was dispatched in such a gory manner.

The character who was killed was finally unveiled: Abraham Ford, played by Michael Cudlitz, is no more.

Negan also killed beloved series regular Glenn Rhee, played by Steven Yeun.

Understandably, the gruesome AMC season opener left fans in absolute pieces, with many of them pretty much crying over the fate of Abraham and Glenn.

One fan wrote that the episode was “emotionally scarring”, and another added they were a “sobbing” mess.

Some were just beside themselves. Absolutely, utterly devastated.

For fans in the UK who haven’t had a chance to see the episode yet, tune into FOX at 11pm on Monday.