Archie Andrews to die in July

LOS ANGELES: Not even Archie Andrews is immortal in the world of comics.
Archie Comics announced Tuesday that the famous comic book character will heroically sacrifice himself while saving the life of a friend in a July installment of “Life with Archie,” a comic book series that tells the story of grown-up renditions of Archie and his Riverdale gang.
“We’ve been building up to this moment since we launched ‘Life with Archie’ five years ago and knew that any book that was telling the story of Archie’s life as an adult had to also show his final moment,” Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO Jon Goldwater said in a statement.
Archie’s final moments will be detailed in “Life with Archie” No. 36, while issue No. 37 will jump forward a year and focus on his friends Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie honoring the legacy of their red-headed pal.
Archie first appeared in comics in 1941 and went on to become a colorful icon of wholesomeness.
"My gut told me this was the right story to share with our fans right now. So we're doing it. We definitely deliberated over how to tell the story, but we knew it was the perfect way to end this series." Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater told TODAY.com, explaining the sudden death announcement of Archie.
"I feel totally confident, though, that when people sit down and read the 'Life With Archie' finale, they'll sit back and agree it's a fitting, emotional and touching ending for Archie. He dies as he lived — protecting his friends and representing the best in all of us," Goldwater said. Goldwater also acknowledged the frustrations of fans post Archie's death and hopes readers will understand why the comic story needs to go down.