Dead as a doornail' Jon Snow a no-show at 'Game of Thrones' premiere

The cast of "Game of Thrones" played down rumors fan-favorite Jon Snow would live on in the hit fantasy series at the season six premiere on Sunday, insisting the heroic character was dead.

Stars Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) walked the carpet at Los Angeles' TCL Chinese Theatre but Kit Harrington, who plays Snow, was a notable no-show.

Snow appeared to be killed off at the end of season five of the popular drama based on novels by George R.R. Martin but HBO sent fans into a frenzy last year when it tweeted a season six teaser poster with a shot of his bloody face.

"Listen, my only reply is the man's had about 25 knives in his chest - how much steel does he need to have in his body to be confirmed dead? He's dead, dead as a doornail," Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, told Reuters.

"It's so sad. He's gone, gone ... Such a shame. Such a nice young man," added Iwan Rheon, who plays Ramsay Bolton.

The fifth season finale, which saw Snow stabbed repeatedly and appearing to bleed to death, drew the show's largest U.S. audience with some 8.1 million viewers, according to reports.