'Gilmore Girls' Netflix revival news: Scott Patterson, Amy Sherman-Palladino talk Edward Herrmann's death, how it inspired the revival

Nearly a decade has passed since the last episode of "Gilmore Girls" season 7 aired. When the Netflix revival debuts later this week, Stars Hollow will not quite be the same.

For one, a major character — Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann), Lorelai's (Lauren Graham) doting dad and Rory's (Alexis Bledel) loving grandpa — will no longer be around.

Herrmann, a prolific actor, writer and director, died of brain cancer in 2014. His "Gilmore Girls" character, a perfect foil to his stern and uncompromising wife Emily (Kelly Bishop), was both kind and big-hearted. Richard was — and remains — one of the show's best-loved characters.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino revealed that Herrmann's death was one of the events that prompted the revival. "Ed Herrmann's passing was very fresh in our minds and we were all pretty crushed by it and it felt like a way to honor him and what he meant to us," she told the outlet, adding that there was a feeling of things aligning for the revival to occur.

Sherman-Palladino added that, at the time, she and her husband/"Gilmore Girls" co-executive producer Dan Palladino realized that if the revival was to happen, it had to happen then and there.

"Gilmore Girls" actor Scott Patterson, who plays Lorelai's love interest Luke Danes, echoed Sherman-Palladino's statement, saying that Herrmann's death gave the revival a deeper significance.

"I think we all felt a little bit of regret that this hadn't happened sooner," he told THR. "Not that it was anybody's fault, but that it hadn't happened sooner and then he could have been included but, you know what, he was included in a very touching moving way and in a very respectful way," he added.

The upcoming "Gilmore Girls" revival will consist of four 90-minute installments titled "Winter," "Spring," "Summer" and "Fall."

"Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" hits Netflix on Friday, Nov. 25.