9 of the Saddest Deaths on 'Grey’s Anatomy'

It’s impossible to watch Grey’s Anatomy without someone dying — not surprising considering that it does take place in a hospital. But what many people don’t expect is the death of beloved characters, especially ones who had more to give to the show. Here are some of the saddest deaths that have occurred, and we’ve cried through, thanks tothe genius of creator Shonda Rhimes.

9. Dylan Young – Kyle Chandler

Season 2, Episode2 16 and 17

Dylan Young, portrayed by Kyle Chandler, was the leader of the bomb squad and joined the show after a piece of live ammunition got stuck inside a patient. After Meredith placed her hand inside that same patient, Dylan talked her through the situation. Once he took control of the bomb, he rolled the patient out of the room in an effort to keep everyone safe. What nobody saw coming was the bomb going off while Dylan held it, ending in his death.  

8. Craig Thomas — William Daniels

Season 9, Episode 5

He may not have been a long-beloved character, but Craig Thomas grew on us. The character was a doctor at the Mayo Clinic where Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) transferred to in season 9. Although she didn’t like him for his old school ways, he became Yang’s mentor, despite his colleagues trying to push him into retirement. Sadly, Craig died while performing surgery with Yang, who was devastated.

7. Charles Percy — Robert Baker

Season 6, Episodes 23 and 24

The infamous shooting episode on Grey’s Anatomy became one of the saddest of the entire series, resulting in the death of multiple characters, including surgical resident Charles Percy (Robert Baker). Percy was shot by the featured gunman, though  everyone thought he would be saved by Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson). But after realizing the elevators weren’t working and there was no way to get Percy to the OR, he succumbed to his injuries, dying in Bailey’s arms.

6. Andrew Deluca — Giacomo Gianniotti

Season 17, Episode 7

Andrew Deluca (Giacomo Gianniotti), surgical resident, was a fan-favorite from the beginning. His death was very sad, to say the least, especially after he began showing signs of bipolar disorder, causing his colleagues not to completely trust his judgements. A fatal example of this was when he insisted a patient was a victim of human trafficking, and the other doctors were reluctant to believe him. It turned out he was right, Deluca stabbed by the human trafficker to stop him from telling the truth and ultimately dying from his wounds.

5. Mark Sloan — Eric Dane

Season 9, Episode 1 (Also watch Season 8, Episode 24 for background)

Everyone loved Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) or McSteamy as he was commonly called. What was the saddest about Mark’s death was that it came shortly after Lexie’s, who was the love of his life. After their plane crashed in the middle of the woods, Mark suffered internal injuries, but fans were convinced he would be fine having survived those events of the season 8 finale. However, in season 9 he succumbed to his injuries and asked his friends to unplug him from life support if he showed no signs of waking up.

4. Denny Duquette — Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Season 2, Episode 27

This death hit hard. Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a patient who was waiting for a heart transplant, appeared on the series for a significant amount of time. During that period, audiences saw Denny and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) fall in love, so much so that Izzie risked her own career to save him. The two decided they would get married, despite the conflict of interest of her being his doctor, and they were going to live a happy life together. That was until Denny died suddenly, devastating Izzie and making for one of the saddest TV deaths ever.

3. George O’Malley — T.R. Knight

Season 5, Episode 24

Everyone cried when George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) died, right? As one of the original interns at Seattle Grace Hospital, he was loved from the start. Sadly, the doctor was hit by the front of a bus and dragged several blocks, which made him impossible to recognize, even by his best friends — though Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) realized it was him after he wrote “007”on Meredith’s hand (his nickname from season 1). By the time the doctors knew it was George, it was too late to save him.

2. Lexie Grey — Chyler Leigh

Season 8, Episode 24

The plane crash took out a lot of our favorite characters, including Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh). After the crash, Lexie became trapped underneath a piece of the airplane, quickly falling victim to her injuries.. What made it even sadder was that she had just admitted she was still in love with Mark Sloan and he didn’t share his feelings until she was dying.

1. Derek Shepherd — Patrick Dempsey

Season 11, Episode 21

Everyone remembers where they were when Derek (Patrick Dempsey) died, especially because it was considered one of the saddest deaths ever. Derek’s life ended after saving a family from a car wreck, which only made everyone love him more. After bringing them all to safety, Derek himself was hit by a truck and taken to an understaffed hospital who didn’t know how to deal with his injuries — something Derek is clearly aware of as we are able to hear his thoughts as he’s dying. Cue “Chasing Cars” because we wanna lie there and just forget the world.

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