For nearly two decades, 'Grey's Anatomy' viewers have mourned the loss of many fan-favorite characters
Grey's Anatomy continues to make history with its season 21 renewal, maintaining its record as the longest-running primetime medical drama and ABC's longest-running primetime scripted series.
Part of the longevity of the Shonda Rhimes-created show is thanks to its characters, especially their relationships, and how invested fans become in their stories. Falling in love with well-written characters played by talented cast members becomes devastating, however, when they are suddenly met with tragic ends.
Ahead are some of the series' most shocking — and heartbreaking — deaths of fan-favorite Grey's Anatomy characters.
Dr. Andrew DeLuca
Dr. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), a general surgeon resident at Grey Sloan Memorial who also had a romantic connection to Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), was stabbed and killed in his attempt to pursue and expose a sex trafficker in season 17.
"So much I could say… but all that comes to mind is thank you," the actor wrote on Twitter (now X) after his final episode. "Thank you to all the fans who loved Deluca as much as I did. Telling his story was and will be one of the great honors of my life. Thank you."
Thatcher Grey
Due to years of alcoholism, Meredith's estranged father Thatcher Grey (Jeff Perry) died from Acute Myeloid Leukemia. His relationship with Meredith was full of ups and downs, but in the end, Meredith was by his side when he took his final breath in season 15.
Dr. Derek Shepherd
Fans may never recover from this one. Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) — a.k.a. McDreamy, a.k.a. Meredith's one true love — died in a car accident in season 11.
"The decision to have the character die the way he did was not a difficult one in the sense of, what were the options," show creator Shonda Rhimes said in 2015. "Whether Derek was going to walk out on Meredith and leave her high and dry, that was going to suggest that the love was not true, that the love they had for 11 years was a lie, and McDreamy wasn't McDreamy."
She continued: "As painful as it was for me as a storyteller, the only way to preserve what felt true to me is that Derek was going to die in order for that love to remain honest."
Since his death, Dempsey's character made multiple cameos in season 17, during Meredith's dream sequences.
Dr. Reed Adamson
Dr. Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner) arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial (back then, Seattle Grace Hospital) in season 10 as a surgical resident from Mercy West.
Reed was shot and murdered by grieving widower Gary Clark — who was seeking revenge and on the hunt for Derek, Lexie Grey (Chlyer Leigh) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) — in the season's dramatic finale.
Dr. Charles Percy
Similar to Dr. Adamson, Dr. Charles Percy (Robert Baker) was also murdered by Gary Clark in season 10. Charles was working on patient Mary Portman (Mandy Moore) during the hospital lockdown. When Clark entered the room, he asked Charles if he was a surgeon. After Charles said he was, Clark shot him.
Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) — who was hiding underneath a hospital bed at the time of the shooting — immediately tried to help Charles. She held him while he took his last breath.
Dr. Heather Brooks
Dr. Heather Brooks (Tina Majorino), a new intern introduced in season 9, died by electrocution after selflessly searching for Richard during the superstorm in season 10.
Adele Webber
Adele Webber (Loretta Devine), who was Richard's first wife, suffered from Alzheimer's toward the end of her journey on Grey's Anatomy. After successfully undergoing surgery for a brain aneurysm, Adele eventually died of a heart attack in season 9.
Dr. Mark Sloan
Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) — a.k.a. McSteamy — was involved in a deadly plane crash with fellow surgeons Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), Meredith, Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Derek and love interest Lexie at the end of season 8.
After the crash, Mark spent two months in the hospital, only waking up once, and eventually fell into a coma. After 30 days on a life support machine, his best friend Derek and the mother of his daughter, Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), decided to take him off life support.
Dr. Lexie Grey
Lexie, Meredith's younger half-sister, wasn't so lucky when it came to the plane crash. Lexie was trapped underneath a piece of aircraft in the season 8 finale. After her death (and Mark's), the hospital was renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Henry Burton
Henry Burton (Scott Foley) first came to Grey Sloan Memorial as a patient with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome without insurance and in need of surgery. Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) proposed to Henry so he could legally be on her insurance and get the surgery he needed.
After a successful surgery, Henry and Teddy began to develop feelings for one another and their relationship eventually turned romantic. However, in season 8, it was revealed Henry had a tumor near his heart, causing bleeding in his lungs and trachea. He underwent surgery but ended up dying on the table.
Dr. George O'Malley
After years of working towards his surgical residency, Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) shocked fans by joining the army to be a trauma surgeon at the end of season 5. However, in true George fashion, he jumped in front of a bus to save a woman's life and ended up dying at the hospital.
George, who was briefly married to Callie and had a fling with Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), has appeared in various dream sequences in a couple of cameos throughout the seasons.
Ellis Grey
Ellis Grey (Kate Burton), the mother of Meredith and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), was a world-renowned surgeon who suffered from Alzheimer's toward the end of her life. Her relationship with Meredith was always complicated, but she loved her daughter and only wanted what was best for her.
She died in season 3 after coding but has since made multiple cameos in flashbacks and dream sequences.
Denny Duquette
Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, came to Seattle Grace as a patient awaiting a heart transplant. During his time there, he developed a romantic relationship with Izzie. Through his medical ups and downs, Denny finally was next in line for a heart; however, the donor flatlined.
To get Denny to the top of the donor list again, Izzie cut his LVAD wire, which forced her to manually pump his heart. After a successful transplant surgery (and a proposal to Izzie), Denny ended up dying from a stroke in season 2.
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