The Saddest ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Character Deaths, Ever

Grey’s Anatomy has a history of punching us right in the feels with character deaths, but some have been much more upsetting than others. While we’d certainly pour one out for the gone-too-son docs like Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner), Dr. Heather Brooks (Tina Majorino), and Charles Percy (Robert Baker), and it was a bummer to see other loved ones and patients pass away, there were other deaths on the show that were downright tragic.

Below, we’re digging into the Grey’s Anatomy deaths that really had us gulping back tears.

Dylan Young

He might’ve called himself an “ass,” but truly, Dylan Young (Kyle Chandler) was the most attentive and empathetic person Meredith could’ve hoped for when dealing with an unexploded bomb that she had her hands wrapped around in a body cavity. Revisiting Grey’s now that the actor has become a TV legend via Friday Night Lights, Bloodline, and more makes this character’s untimely demise even more upsetting

Andrew DeLuca

The death of Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) was truly tragic for many reasons. First, he died for a noble cause; he set out to get justice against a human trafficker, even though he’d been ostracized and punished for (rightly) accusing her before. Second, he was just getting back to a place of peace after experiencing bouts of mania and depression. Third, because he died during the height of the Covid-19, he didn’t even get a full funeral service, although his outdoor, social-distanced memorial was truly touching. Absent any of that, it would’ve still been quite sad to see the heart-on-his-sleeve hunk taken out so early in life.

Jessica Smithson

We knew it was coming as soon as we learned that little cherubic-faced Jessica Smithson had Tay-Sachs disease, a truly cruel illness that is always fatal for tiny humans. Still, watching this brave little munchkin succumb to the disease was gutwrenching. And the fact that her desperate father was in denial until the bitter end, scrambling to do anything and everything that might save her, despite knowing it was futile, made it all that much harder to bear.

Susan Grey

Susan Grey (Mare Winningham) deserved so, so, so much better than she got. After showing endless kindness, thoughtfulness, and presence to Meredith, who’d never truly experienced motherly affection before, Mer finally started to warm to her stepmom. However, a routine procedure to cure her chronic hiccups resulted in her unexpected death on the operating table.

Doc

As if the drama between Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Finn (Chris O’Donnell), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and Addison (Kate Walsh) wasn’t complicated enough, Finn had to help Meredith, Derek, and Addison say goodbye to Doc after the dog got cancer in Season 2. R.I.P. Doc, a very good boy who didn’t care about silly human love quadrangles. – Dan Clarendon

Henry Burton

Henry’s (Scott Foley) marriage to Teddy (Kim Raver) went from practical — they tied the knot so he could benefit from her health insurance policy — to romantic. But then he developed a tumor near his heart in Season 8, and not even Cristina (Sandra Oh), who didn’t know his identity until after the operation, could save him. – Dan Clarendon

Mary Portman

Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and her patient Mary (Mandy Moore) narrowly survived Season 5’s hospital shooting. But six months later, Mary never woke up after what should have been a routine surgery, for reasons unknown, and that twist of fate left Bailey devastated. – Dan Clarendon

Bonnie Crasnoff

Bonnie (Monica Keena) and another patient, Tom (Bruce A. Young), were impaled on the same metal pole in Season 2’s train crash, but the docs chose to prioritize him since he had a better chance of survival. Meredith begged the other docs not to abandon Bonnie, but she was overruled. – Dan Clarendon

Mark Sloan

Mark (Eric Dane) looked like he survived the Season 8 plane crash relatively unscathed, but his injuries were all internal, as viewers learned. And despite an apparent uptick in his condition — during which he cracked jokes and even dispensed romantic advice — he eventually succumbed to those injuries. – Dan Clarendon

Adele Webber

When Richard (James Pickens Jr.) showed up to Bailey’s wedding in Season 9, Mer knew his wife (Loretta Devine) must not have survived her aneurysm. Turns out, her heart couldn’t handle the strain. And as Bailey had her first dance with Ben (Jason George), Richard imagined one last dance with his bride. – Dan Clarendon

George O’Malley

George (T.R. Knight) stepped in front of a bus to save another pedestrian in Season 5, and he was so disfigured in the accident that the docs didn’t even know who he was until he traced his “007” nickname on Meredith’s palm. He and a post-brain surgery Izzie (Katherine Heigl) flatlined simultaneously, but she woke up, and he never did. – Dan Clarendon

Derek Shepherd

Grey’s fans never expected the show to kill off McDreamy until it did. In a climactic Season 11 episode, Derek saved the victims of one car crash only to be caught up in another, and if it weren’t for the incompetence at the medical center where he ended up, Meredith would still be married. – Dan Clarendon

Eric Sterling

Another truly upsetting patient death was little Eric Stirling, a 12-year-old boy who was shot while trying to open a window into his own home in an upscale neighborhood. His wounds were survivable at first, giving him time to innocently explain to his parents and the police alike that he did what he was told to do. Then, things took a tragic turn in the end, costing this child not just his innocence, but also his life, and leaving his family completely destroyed forever.

Lexie Grey

The same plane crash that ultimately killed Mark also killed his “meant to be” love, Lexie (Chyler Leigh), who was crushed by the wreckage of the tail section. He tried his best to free her, but the wreckage couldn’t budge, and as she took her last breaths, he outlined the future he envisioned for her. (We’re not sniffling, you’re sniffling.) – Dan Clarendon

Denny Duquette

Izzie’s patient boyfriend (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was felled by a post-op blood clot just before she arrived for Season 2’s hospital prom. “I changed my dress three times,” she tells the other docs. “I wanted to look nice. I would have been here sooner, but I couldn’t figure out which dress to wear.” – Dan Clarendon

Samuel Avery

Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April (Sarah Drew) were devastated to find out in Season 11 that their unborn son had type II osteogenesis imperfecta and would suffer broken bones in the womb. They decided to induce labor early and cherish a precious few moments with the baby, whom they baptized and named Samuel. – Dan Clarendon