Content Warning: This article contains discussions/references to murder, violence, mass shootings, and human trafficking.
The doctors on Grey's Anatomy see death all the time, and their life's work is to save the patients who come into the hospital. While loss is the toughest part of their jobs, they also have to say goodbye to friends, co-workers, and family members throughout the show's 17 seasons.
Meredith has lost the most people close to her, including several relatives and the love of her life, and the other characters have lost some important people as well. Many Grey's Anatomy episodes include big character deaths that certainly made fans super emotional.
'Some Kind of Miracle' (S3 Ep17): Ellis Grey
One of the first major deaths in the series was Ellis Grey, who died in season 3. Throughout the first three seasons, Ellis had been living in a residential facility after she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's; however, her health was seen to deteriorate as she was admitted to the hospital several times due to a series of physical illnesses too. Unfortunately, after she had heart surgery, Ellis never recovered and sadly passed away.
This was one of the most life-altering moments for Meredith, who faced many problems in her life, and it was difficult for her to lose her mother knowing that they never got the chance to really talk, connect, or say that they loved each other one last time.
'Losing My Religion' (S2, Ep27): Denny Duquette
After Izzie fell in love with Denny, she cut his LVAD wire and almost had to step away from medicine forever. Sadly, Denny didn't make it after he had a stroke following his heart transplant.
Denny's season 2 death is one of the most tragic and memorable on the show. Izzie hoped that they could stay together and while some questioned her feelings for a patient and how appropriate that was, she felt that their connection was too strong to forget about. This was, by far, one of the most emotional storylines on the show.
'Suddenly' (S8, Ep10): Henry Burton
He may not have been one of the surgeons, but Henry did have a major impact on fans. Sadly, Henry's time on the show was cut short after he died on the operating table following the discovery that he had a tumor close to his heart.
This was one of the hardest things that Teddy ever went through, as she wanted to be able to help him. Although they got married for the purpose of him using her health insurance, they did have real feelings for one another and gradually fell in love. Viewers grew invested in Henry and were sad to say goodbye.
'Death And All His Friends' (S6, E24): Charles Percy
In this tragic episode from season 6, Gary Clark shot Charles Percy after inquiring if he worked as a surgeon. Bailey was there and tried her best to save his life, but as they couldn't get into an elevator to get him in an operating room, he sadly didn't make it.
Fans definitely felt emotional when looking back at Charles' last moments, which saw him open up to Bailey. When he let Bailey know much she meant to him before passing away, it was impossible not to tear up. This was one of the more heartbreaking episodes in Grey's Anatomy too, as Charles wasn't the only person to be killed.
'Helplessly Hoping' (S17 Ep11): Andrew DeLuca
One of the more surprising deaths occurred in season 17 when DeLuca was killed trying to stop a human trafficker from escaping. This was a shocking character death that took everyone by surprise as fans had been confident that he would recover. With DeLuca also having a memorable love story with Meredith, fans had been wondering if they would reunite at some point too.
Season 17 had many great scenes and in a season with so much sadness and pain, this one is tough for fans to think about. DeLuca was a kind soul and this was a particularly terrible way for him to go.
'Going, Going' Gone' (S9, Ep1): Mark Sloan
While it seemed as if Mark Sloan would survive after the plane crash in the season 8 finale, he did pass away while he was in the hospital. Mark and Lexie's love story had so much potential and their future seemed so close, but they both tragically died fairly close together, and no one could believe that this is how it ended.
While it was tough to say goodbye to this beloved character, viewers love Mark's advice to Jackson, telling him to listen to his heart and not waste any time in sharing his feelings for someone.
'The Winner Takes it All' (S15, Ep11): Thatcher Grey
Although he did not feature as much in the show, Thatcher Grey's death still had a major impact on Meredith since there was so much unresolved history between them.
Meredith felt that she had been abandoned by Thatcher since he left when she was younger, and she didn't believe that he put much time and effort into their relationship once she was older. She still felt really badly about their father/daughter relationship when he died, and she realized that she would never really be able to move on from that.
'Now Or Never' (S5, E24): George O'Malley
In one of the more heartbreaking moments in season 5, everyone was taken aback to discover that George O'Malley was the mysterious patient that had been hit by a bus. They had only discovered this when he wrote "007" in Meredith's hand.
This can be seen as the first big death of a main character on the show, as George was part of the original intern group and no one imagined him ever leaving. The other characters lost a good friend who felt like family, and it was particularly tough for Meredith, who felt that she was constantly losing people close to her.
'Flight': (S8, Ep24): Lexie Grey
Lexie died before Mark did as a result of the plane crash, and it was not only shocking to see such a terrible event on the show, but it was awful to watch this sweet and popular character pass away.
This death was one of the worst as before Lexie died, Mark was right there, telling her that they would have a beautiful life together. Fans were just as heartbroken as Mark was when she was gone; while their romance wasn't perfect, they both seemed totally ready to commit, and they didn't want to be with anyone else.
'How To Save A Life' (S11, Ep24): Derek Shepherd
When he was headed to Washington so he could quit working for the President, Derek saw a car accident and he wanted to help. However, after he managed to get everyone patched up and begun to leave the scene, his car was hit by a truck. Although Derek could have been saved, he sadly passed away when the doctors failed to realize that he had a severe brain bleed.
This season 11 episode featured what is arguably the biggest character death on Grey's Anatomy. It was tragic to imagine the ramifications of this moment: Meredith raising their children without her soulmate and love of her life, Derek's family living without him, and his co-workers who had become family having to grieve the loss as well. Meredith spent some time away from Seattle and gave birth to their third baby, a beautiful reminder of their love story.