Every Major ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Character Who Died on the Show

Now in its 14th season, Grey’s Anatomy‘s has seen a number of characters come and go on the show. While almost every character’s exit is shrouded in emotion, there are a handful of major characters whose deaths have fans still wiping away the tears even years later.

The ABC drama, created by Shonda Rimes, is notorious for killing off even the most lovable figures in heartbreaking circumstances. Keep scrolling to see a list of Grey’s Anatomy’s major character deaths.

George O’Malley

T.R. Knight’s character was last seen on Season 5, Episode 23 titled “Here’s to Future Days.”

George had been dragged by a bus and left severely disfigured, so much so that no one knew it was him until he was dying. Before his final moments, George wrote “007” on Meredith’s hand to reveal his identity.

Grey’s Anatomy Major Deaths

Denny Duquette

The character played by The Walking Dead‘s Jeffrey Dean Morgan survived a heart transplant and seemed to be in the clear. However, he later died alone in the hospital.

Izzie, who was in love with Denny, cut his LVAD wire but that wasn’t enough to keep him alive. He managed to survive for hours with nothing pumping to his heart. However, he later passed when a blood clot formed while Izzie was at home changing into her dress for the hospital’s prom. 

Denny was last seen on Season 2, Episode 27 titled “Losing My Religion.

Henry Burton

Before Scott Foley starred on Scandal, he was making Grey’s fans cry as a frequent patient Henry Burton. Burton married Teddy Altman for insurance purposes but then eventually fell in love.

Creator Shonda Rhimes ripped out the viewers’ hearts when killing off Burton. Henry was killed by Christina, who had no idea it was Teddy’s husband on whom she was operating.

Grey’s Anatomy Major Deaths (cont.)

Mark Sloan

Unlike some of the other major character deaths, Eric Dane’s character was given proper closure when giving his goodbyes before slipping into a coma. 

Sloan fell into a comatose state after a plane crash. The character died shortly after the same crash that killed Lexie, after the two shared a heartbreaking goodbye. He was removed from life support by Callie, who was the mother of his baby. Mark’s last episode was titled “Remember the Time,” the second episode of Season 9.

Dylan Young

Friday Night Lights alum Kyle Chandler’s character, Dylan Young, was killed after walking out of the building when a bomb exploded.

Meredith was able to successfully remove a bomb from a man’s body, but it detonated in Dylan’s hands. He was last seen on Season 3, Episode 17, titled “Some Kind of Miracle.”

Grey’s Anatomy Major Deaths (cont.)

Adele Webber

One of the most shocking parts of Adele’s death was that it happened offscreen. 

Loretta Devine’s character did not have an easy life. Adele stayed married to a man she knew was in love with someone else and she later was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

On her final night – which was seen on Season 9, Episode 10 – Adele found herself in the OR gallery. She was hysterical and when Richard started singing “My Funny Valentine,” Adele thought it was her wedding night.

Susan Grey

Mare Winningham’s character died of one of the most peculiar situations on the show. Susan died from having the hiccups.

Over her last few days, Susan slowly declined. As her condition worsened, she was visibly terrified. Susan was last seen on Season 3, Episode 23 titled “The Other Side of This Life.”

Grey’s Anatomy Major Deaths (cont.)

Derek Shepherd

Patrick Dempsey’s character was a fan-favorite on the series from the beginning and many were convinced that he would be one of the final ones left to live out a happy ever after story. However, in Season 11, Derek was hit by a truck.

He didn’t die upon impact but later passed away as doctors didn’t know how to save his life. Meredith was forced to take her husband off of life support and this made for one of the most saddening deaths of the entire series.

Lexie Grey

Lexie was introduced to the show in Season 3 as Meredith’s long-lost half-sister. Even though there were many barriers to the two forging a strong bond, Lexie and Meredith eventually became extremely close.

The character, portrayed by Chyler Leigh, died as the result of the plane crash. Lexie was last seen on “Flight,” which was Season 8, Episode 24.

Grey’s Anatomy Major Deaths (cont.)

Charles Percy

Robert Baker’s character was killed in the season six hospital shooting. 

Bailey determined that Charles needed to go to the operating room immediately and she risked being seen by the shooter again to drag him to the elevator. Tragically, the elevator had been turned off for security purposes.

At this point, there was nothing anyone could do to save Charles as he slowly bled out. In his final moments, Charles said that he wanted to be brave and told Bailey to tell Reed that he loved her. Charles was last seen in “Death and All His Friends,” Season 6, Episode 24.