Grey’s Anatomy follows the lives, loves and sometimes deaths of beloved characters working at Seattle Grace Hospital. Through many ups and downs the residents, interns and doctors at Seattle Grace take us through their journeys. The award winning ABC drama continues to be popular with fans after 11 seasons. A hospital drama is bound to witness many deaths. Grey’s Anatomy has had several deaths that shocked fans and made us weep. Creator Shonda Rhimes has often had to defend the decision of the writers to end the lives of some of the most beloved characters. Here are 10 of the most memorable deaths on Grey’s Anatomy.
Dr. Derek Shepherd
Dr. Derek Shepherd may be the too obvious choice for Grey’s Anatomy’s most memorable death, but it is one of the most tragic deaths on the show. Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. Shepherd was with the show from the start. His female colleagues nicknamed him Dr. McDreamy in the first episode. His love life was an important theme throughout the series. From his failed marriage with Addison to his relationship with Meredith, Dr. Shepherd’s love life was an important storyline.
In his last episode which aired in April 2015 Derek was simply driving to the airport when tragedy struck. He stopped to help treat victims of a car accident, got back into his own car, reached for his cell phone and his car was struck by a truck. Taken to the nearest hospital, ironically, Derek died due to the incompetence of the doctors at the teaching hospital with no trauma department. Derek could not speak so he could not tell the young doctors what they were doing wrong and was brain dead by the time the surgeon arrived. It was a tragic ending for such a main character. Even worse, when Meredith arrived, the young doctors were cocky.
Denny Duquette, Jr.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Denny Duquette, Jr. was a tragic character from the start. He came to Grace Memorial for treatment of viral cardiomyopathy and a heart transplant. His weakened heart was particularly tragic because he had been a robust man. His romance with Dr. Izzie Stevens was lovely but unrequited. She even lied to get him the heart transplant ahead of another patient. Denny got the transplant but died of a blood clot that led to a stroke.
He left his money to Izzie who put it to good use by helping another patient and donating it to Miranda Darly to open the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. Before he died, Denny asked Izzie to marry him.
Dr. Mark Sloane
Dr. Sloane came to the hospital in season 2. He had been a partner with Derek Shepherd in a private practice in New York. He also had an affair with Derek’s wife, Addison. When “Dr. McSteamy” as the female interns called him, came to Seattle Grace as attending plastic surgeon, he and Addison continued to have an on again off again relationship. He and Derek eventually became friend’s again. Dr. Sloane had several love affairs during the 8 seasons he was on Grey’s Anatomy.
His most profound relationship was with Lexie. Unfortunately, when Dr. Sloane’s 18 year old and pregnant daughter arrived and he took her in, Lexie was upset by his decision. Mark Sloane died from complications following a horrible plane crash.
Lexie Grey
Alexandra Grey, the Harvard Medical School graduate and half sister of Dr. Meredith Grey, came to Grace Memorial in season 3 as a surgical intern. During her internship and residency at the hospital she developed a relationship with Dr. Mark Sloan. Despite there ups and downs, when Lexie died, Mark professed his true love for her. Sadly, a team of doctors were headed to Boise, Idaho to perform surgery on conjoined twins when the plane crashed in the woods. Lexie survived long enough for Mark to profess his love but not long enough for her half sister to reach her and say goodbye.
Bonnie Crasnoff
In season 2, we were introduced to train crash victim Bonnie Crasnoff played by Monica Keenna. During the accident, a metal pole impaled her and a fellow passenger whom she did not know. At the hospital, she was able to bond with the other passenger, Tom, as she waited for her fiancé, Danny, to arrive at the hospital. Sadly, Bonnie was informed by the doctors that the pole had severed her spinal cord. To remove it would kill her but save Tom. She agreed to the sacrifice and bled out and died. Meredith tried desperately to save her as the other doctors helped Tom survive.
Mary Portman
Mandy Moore memorably played patient Mary Portman. Mary was a patient at Settle Grace Hospital who was scheduled to have routine surgery when a gunman went on a killing spree at the hospital. Dr. Bailey was her surgeon and ordered a blood transfusion prior to surgery. When her husband, Bill, left Clark, sought revenge on the hospital staff that he felt killed his wife. During the tense scenes of this 2010 episode, Mary Portman and Dr. Bailey were in her hospital room when Charles Percey enters and warns them of the shooter.
When the shooter entered the room, Mary played dead while the doctors hid. The shooter shot Charles but spared Mary and Dr. Bailey. They tried to save Charles but could not get him to the operating room because the elevators were shut down. Mary Portman returned to the hospital for her surgery six months later while filming a documentary about the shooting. She died during the routine surgery seemingly for no reason.
Reed Adamson
Reed Andamson was a surgical resident who came to the hospital when it merged with another hospital. Tensions about the merger among the hospital staff was tense, and Reed had an abrasive personality. She butted heads with Izzie and Alex. Nora Zehetner’s Reed Adamson was killed in one of the most intense episodes of the series. When grieving and angry widower, Gary Clark, sought revenge on the hospital staff he felt killed his wife, Reed was the first person the gunman shot and killed. The gunman’s spree put the hospital in lockdown and other lives were lost.
Dylan Young
Kyle Chandler played the role of Dylan Young in his Emmy nominated turn as a guest star on Grey’s Anatomy. Dylan Young was a handsome bomb expert called in to remove a bomb and save patient James Carlson. He was a good guy and appeared strong and stable throughout the crisis. Unfortunately, the bomb exploded while he was carrying it out.
George O’Malley
The sweet underdog, George O’Malley was played by actor T.R. Knight from 2005 until 2009. During his tenure on the show, George was the romantic interest of several of the female characters including Meredith. When he considered serving in the Army, the other doctors tried to arrange an intervention to stop him so he would not be killed. The sweetheart doctor happened to die when he threw himself in front of a bus to save a stranger. Unfortunately when he was take to Seattle Grace, he was unrecognizable and listed as John Doe. His colleagues did not even know it was their beloved George in their care before he died.
Harold O’Malley
George’s father died of organ failure at Seattle Grace. George had a difficult relationship with his truck driving father who collected vintage cars. He felt he had nothing in common with his father or his brothers. It was George who was with Harold when he died and the two connected in the a touching scene.
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