Adrian Pasdar has been let go from NBC's Heroes, sources confirm to TVGuide.com.

Reports of a major character's death and departure from the show began circulating last month.

A studio rep for the NBC series would not confirm Pasdar's exit.

This isn't the first time Pasdar's character, Sen. Nathan Petrelli, has been killed off the series. At the end of Season 3, Nathan's throat was slit by Sylar, but Pasdar remained in the cast because the supervillain was forced to take on the guise and memories of the elder Petrelli brother.

NBC was fourth, it's two-hour "Heroes" (6 million, 2.7) premiere falling 46% from last year's one-hour opener. The show's demo also dropped from its first hour to its second -- not a good sign. At 10 p.m., "The Jay Leno Show" (5.7 million, 1.8) assumed its third-place position and dipped below a 2.0 for the first time.