Sad news for "Community" fans: Yvette Nicole Brown, who has played Shirley Bennett in the Dan Harmon-created sitcom since the show's 2009 launch, is no longer coming back to Greendale.

The 43-year-old actress-comedian confirmed to TV Guide that she has asked to be released from her contract to take care of her ailing father. And Sony Pictures TV and executive producers Harmon and Chris McKenna were kind enough to honor her request.

"My dad needs daily care and he needs me," Brown told the magazine. "The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad."

"Yvette was an integral part of 'Community' and is irreplaceable. We are sad to see her go and wish her the very best," Harmon and McKenna said in a joint statement.

"[Harmon] has been so wonderful about it all," shared Brown. "He told me, 'Yvette, I'm praying for your dad.'"

Brown's departure from the Primetime Emmy-winning show follows the Season 5 exit of Donald Glover, who played fan-favorite Troy Barnes.

Shirley is probably perceived by some viewers as a mere supporting character, but her loss in the sitcom poses a big challenge to Harmon, according to Screen Rant.

"Shirley has been a load bearing wall. Shirley is the conscience of the group and the most grounded character. She's also the only character with a life and responsibilities away from Greendale. To lose that means that Dan Harmon is going to have to do a better job of establishing a tether to the real world for the other characters," explained the online publication.

Shirley is occasionally judgmental, but she is actually the closest thing the study group has to a mother-like figure, according to Cinemablend.

As for how Shirley's absence will be addressed when the show returns for its sixth season on Yahoo! Screen, Brown has some suggestions for Harmon on the matter.

"I am totally open to whatever Dan decides," she told TV Guide. "I'm glad it won't be hard for them to explain where she is. She has three kids, a degree and a business. There are a lot of ways to explain her [departure]."

Brown took to Twitter to thank her castmates as well as the fans of the show after news of her exit broke.

"Thanks for the years of laughs & love @danharmon @joelmchale @gillianjacobs @dannypudi @alisonbrie @kenjeong @RashIsTVUgly & @donaldglover, Brown wrote on the microblogging site.

"& thanks to the AWESOME #Community fans! You #HumanBeings are forever #StreetsAhead. Thanks for understanding my tough decision & your love. And thank you #SONY for your understanding. I will never forget what your kindness has done for my family," she added in a follow-up tweet.

No premiere date for "Community" Season 6 has been set yet.