‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Says Goodbye to Longtime Character, Leaving Fans Devastated

Alyssa Fikse

05/20/2021 11:02 pm EDT

Grey's Anatomy fans suffered a devastating loss on Thursday night, having to say goodbye to yet another beloved character: Jesse Williams' Jackson Avery. Williams has been a series regular for 12 seasons, and Jackson has been a close friend of Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)for most of his time on the show. In fact, he was the last remaining member of Grey's residency class, a fact that is driven home in a devastating conversation between the longtime coworkers.

At least Jackson managed to survive his tenure at Grey Sloan Memorial -- many were killed off instead -- leaving to start a new life running his family's medical foundation with his ex-wife April Kepner (Sarah Drew). Could a spin off be in store? Crazier things have happened, but for now, fans are simply devastated to lose one of their favorite characters. With the recent season 18 renewal, who is even going to be left?

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"And just like that plastics are officially gone [sobbing emoji]," tweeted one fan alongside a photo of Jackson and his late mentor, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).

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"'I'm the last man standing. It was you and me, from our residency class. Everyone else has either abandoned me or died. We were the only two left.' Someone give Meredith a medal for everything she's been through," wrote one bereft viewer.

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Fans were devastated to see a major phase of Grey's Anatomy come to an end with Jackson's exit. "The last of the original residency friendships pointed out one viewer.

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"The friendship of Mer and Avery is one of the most underrated friendships and I can't stop crying rn," tweeted another sad fan.

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"OMG I'm so sad and can't stop crying," wrote one viewer, summing up the feelings of the entire fandom.

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"I cant believe all my fave original (sic) characters have gone away except for Mer and Bailey, seriously Shonda [Rhimes]," tweeted another frustrated fan. With so few original characters left, what does season 18 even look like for the beloved medical drama?

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