Summary

• ER, one of NBC's most popular TV series, featured dark and shocking storytelling elements, with memorable character deaths that still resonate.
• Some of the most heartbreaking deaths on ER include Dennis Gant, Lucy Knight, Mark Greene, Robert Romano, and Michael Gallant.
• The deaths on ER set a tone for future medical shows, influencing the trajectory and expectation of character deaths in the genre. Grey's Anatomy is one such show that followed this trend.

ER contains so many fan-favorite characters, but not every doctor who stepped through the doors of Chicago's County General made it through the long-running series alive, as there are plenty of ER characters that died. ER stands the test of time as of one of NBC's most popular television series. The procedural drama grew a dedicated fanbase throughout its 15-year run. Airing from 1994 to 2009 for an impressive 15 seasons, Michael Crichton's ER saw massive success over two decades.

ER, viewed by tens of millions in its prime, certainly implemented dark and sometimes shocking storytelling elements without killing off its characters. However, many of the show's must-see pop culture moments are forever tied to ER characters that died. The hit ratings phenomenon had peaks and valleys, but the big moments consistently mentioned years after ER's cancelation were of the doctors who tragically passed on.

Where to Watch ER

Dennis Gant Died In A Train Accident

Season 2, Episode 11 - "Night Shift"

Although no major character deaths occurred during ER seasons 1 and 2, the show did not allow its audience to get too comfortable. By ER season 3, the stakes were higher and key characters were not safe from the ax. Notably, Dennis Gant (Omar Epps) was the young surgical intern introduced in season 3 that gave ER its first tragic character death.

A loyal friend to Dr. Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle), Dennis Gant was tragically killed in a train accident in the 1997 episode "Night Shift." Although many things led to the fall of ER's first doctor, Gant's demise was contested as to whether he tripped on Chicago's L train platform or took his own life. As witness reports were conflicting, the outcome leaned toward the latter but it was ultimately left up to audiences to decide his fate.

Lucy Knight Was Stabbed By A Patient

Season 6, Episode 14 - "All In The Family"

Several ER characters died in season 6, but the doctor who died had a reason for leaving the show. Actress Kellie Martin wanted to leave the show, so Lucy Knight's death was portrayed in a darker light. The third-year medical student struggled with the team, especially when getting along with Wyle's Dr. Carter and Dr. Hathaway (Julianna Margulies). Both Lucy Knight and Dr. Carter were violently stabbed in an attack that shocked the ER audience with its explicit gore.

Lucy Knight met a gruesome end through a two-part event in 2000, with the episodes "Be Still My Heart" and "All in the Family." Played by David Krumholtz, a man with schizophrenia checked into the ER, resulting in an unnerving, bloody affair. That moment gave the show one of its most monumental, heartwrenching scenes that remains powerful to this day.

Mark Greene Died From A Brain Tumor

Season 8, Episode 21 - "On The Beach"

By the time season 8 arrived in 2002, ER reached new dramatic heights. This season had an event that NBC planned on purpose, as the network gave in to Anthony Edwards' desire to step away from his role. In 2001, Edwards confessed, "It's been eight years of my family working around my schedule." After surviving a brain tumor in season 7, Dr. Mark Greene succumbed to relapse in ER's season 8 episode, "On The Beach."

Edwards was the only original cast member to die in the series. However, the most memorable part of Dr. Greene is the blissful way he passed away. Dying peacefully in his sleep, viewers had a chance to witness Mark in Hawaii with his daughter Rachel in his last moments. Playing over the touching scene, the music of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was heard as Dr. Greene is seen walking through an empty ER.

Robert Romano Was Crushed By A Helicopter

Season 10, Episode 8 - "Freefall"

Established as playing the jerk of the show, Paul McCrane portrayed the much-maligned Robert "Rocket" Romano for seven seasons on ER. The beginning of season 9 shocked the public with the outlandish event that saw Dr. Robert Romano lose his arm on a helicopter rotor. Romano survived this encounter when Dr. Kovač (Goran Višnjić) saved his life. By season 10, his amputation was replaced with a robotic appendage, but that didn't stop him from being one of the ER characters that died.

As ER debuted its season 10 episode, "Freefall," the mega-event showcased a bit of irony as a helicopter fell off a rooftop onto Dr. Romano, crushing him. In actuality, McCrane said it was time for his character to go. In poetic justice against the late doctor and his homophobic feelings towards the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) used Dr. Romano's money when he left the hospital to set up a gay and lesbian medical program for County General in his memory.

Michael Gallant Died In A Roadside Bombing

Season 12, Episode 21 - "The Gallant Hero & The Tragic Victor"

At the beginning of season 8, ER introduced a special character that would stay on the show for a solid five years. Captain Michael Emory Gallant (Sharif Atkins) was a member of the US Army Reserve on active duty. In the penultimate episode of season 12, episode 21, "The Gallant Hero & The Tragic Victor" shows the final appearance and death of Dr. Gallant, making him one of the next ER characters that died.

In a tragic scene in Iraq during ER's opening sequence, Capt. Gallant's truck convoy is hit by a roadside bomb, in one of ER's best episodes. In a horrific explosion, Michael's final words before his death attempted to address his wife, who was also a doctor, Neela Rasgotra (Parminder Nagra). To make things even harder, it was later revealed that Dr. Gallant left a recorded apology for leaving his wife Neela for Iraq.

Greg Pratt Died In An Ambulance Explosion

Season 15, Episode 1 - "Life After Death"

Reaching the final year of ER's long television run, the show's last season started with a bang right out of the gate. The ER season 15 premiere did not hold back when another doctor was lost tragically in 2008's show opening, becoming one of the next ER characters that died. Dr. Greg Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) died from severe injuries he sustained during an ambulance explosion in season 14.

Pratt had to be put on a heart bypass machine, and he showed signs of being brain-dead. Showing no signs of his brain recovering, Dr. Pratt was sadly pronounced dead. Fortunately, his organs were donated per his wishes. In a twist of irony, it was revealed that Pratt was to be offered the role of Chief of the ER, which the doctor would have accepted if he had survived. Although several doctors died on the show, ER featured many memorable actors who lived on in TV fandom forever.

Which Doctor Has The Saddest Death On ER?

Out of all the tragic deaths on ER, Anthony Edwards is by far the most heartwrenching. His death had a two-year buildup to his tragic passing, and he was even considered in the clear for a brief period, only to have audiences' hopes dashed again. As the only original character on the show to die, Dr. Greene held a special place in ER fans' hearts and many grieved to see him go. Though many deaths were sad, Dr. Greene remains the most emotional.

ER has no shortage of tear-jerking character deaths. Dennis Gant's death was never properly ruled a suicide or an accident, providing zero closure. Lucy Knight's demise was one of the most shocking and bloodiest affairs on ER. No clues led to her death and the senseless violence that caused it made shock waves that reverberated for the rest of the series. Robert Romano's death was highly divisive, as he was easily one of the show's most hated characters.

What made Michael Gallant's death tragic was the recorded apology he left behind for his wife. However, despite the fact ER has seen a fair few doctors pass on under less-than-wholesome circumstances, Dr. Greene's death is the most memorable and the saddest out of all the ER characters that died. Anthony Edwards' "Be generous with your time" speech is one of the most emotive moments in television history, and the death of Dr. Mark Greene is still regarded as the saddest ER death by fans.

Doctors Dying On ER Set A Tone For Future Medical Shows

Many ER characters died over the series' 15 seasons, and while the show wasn't the very first medical procedural drama, it has become a staple of the genre and a blueprint for the shows that followed. There's no question that medical dramas have a habit of killing off characters, either when their actors decide to leave the show or if there hasn't been a sad character death in a while. ER's doctor deaths influenced the trajectory of hit shows like Grey's Anatomy, which has killed off 11 main characters.

Even more short-lived medical dramas like New Amsterdam have taken a page out of ER's book and killed off a beloved character for dramatic impact. It's gotten to the point that audiences expect characters to be killed off to move the plot forward and continue a revolving-door-style cast. While ER started the trend, Grey's Anatomy became infamous for it. Whether this is a good thing or simply just a quirk of the genre is for audiences to decide, but there's no question that ER became the foundation that many medical dramas were built upon.