HBO announced today that True Blood‘s seventh season which will run through next summer will be the show’s last. The cable channel’s president of programming Michael Lombardo said in a statement, “True Blood has been nothing short of a defining show for HBO. Alan Ball took the books by Charlaine Harris, assembled a brilliant cast led by the magnificent Anna Paquin in the role of Sookie Stackhouse, and crafted a show that has taken its many devoted fans on an unforgettable journey.”

Lombardo added, “Alan passed the baton to Brian Buckner, who led our fantastic writers and crew in crafting a spectacular sixth season, and he will lead us through the seventh and final season of this amazing show. Together with its legions of fans, it will be hard to say goodbye to the residents of Bon Temps, but I look forward to what promises to be a fantastic final chapter of this incredible show.”

In a Tweet, Buckner thanked “the most passionate fans in television” and swore to “do our very best to bring Sookie’s story to a close with heart, imagination and, of course, fun.”