Top 10 Saddest Grey's Anatomy Character Deaths

We might not have seen this death on screen, but that didn’t lessen its impact. Adele Webber’s battle with Alzeheimers was already a devastating, and doomed, process. As she gradually lost control over her memories, her husband Richard’s love and commitment could anchor her at first. Eventually, though, the disease was too far gone. By the time Adele finally succumbed to a heart attack, we had been watching her slip away for a long time. In some ways her slow decline was more painful than her death itself, especially as we saw the toll it took on both Adele and Richard. But that doesn’t mean we’ll ever hear “My Funny Valentine” again without getting choked up.

This is another death that we all knew was probably inevitable. The doctors of Seattle Grace fought hard against Diane’s breast cancer, but all of their best efforts were no match for its rapid spread. In the end it was Diane herself who made the decision to accept her fate. True to her strength of spirit, Diane still tried to make the most of the time left to her. Especially when it came to her daughter, Maggie. Their final scene together in the hospital really hammers home how great her loss will be for the people she leaves behind. Though Diane’s ending is peaceful, Maggie’s reaction is heartbreaking to witness.

Losing a parent is always difficult, but there is no agony like that of a parent losing their child. While April and Jackson happily anticipated the birth of their baby, they discovered that he was already suffering a rare genetic disorder. Though they tried to remain optimistic, they would eventually receive the devastating news that their son’s condition would be fatal. With only sad options available to them, the couple made the decision to induce labor early so that they could at least meet their son. The family had only moments together before they lost the baby they named Samuel. We mourned with April and Jackson as a day that should have been one of their happiest became the most tragic.

When Teddy married the chronically ill Henry to give him insurance it was a gesture of kindness, but not passion. Nevertheless, we saw the two actually fall in love over the course of Henry’s time on the show. The sweet relationship was cut short, however, when Henry went back into the hospital for another surgery. Despite the best efforts on the team, they are ultimately unable to save him. Though her friends initially hid his death from Teddy in order to keep her mind on her own procedure, she eventually had to find out the truth. Watching the usually cool and collected Teddy break down over Henry’s body was nothing short of gutting.

The charming Denny Duquette was a favorite patient of both the characters onscreen and the audience watching. He shared a special connection with Izzie Stevens though. After suffering congestive heart failure and surviving a transplant, Denny was ready to put his new heart to a use when he unexpectedly proposed to Izzie. It wasn’t to be though. After everything he had been through, Denny died of a blood clot just hours after it seemed like he might be out of the woods. Izzie’s utter devastation at his sudden loss remains one of the most memorable scenes in the show’s history. We were all left heartbroken over what could have been.

Like so many of the most unfortunate deaths on Grey’s Anatomy, this one completely blindsided us. Though Andrew DeLuca was a great doctor, he could sometimes make unwise decisions, and trying to handle a sex trafficker without the help of the police definitely qualifies. Opal badly wounded Andrew and he was rushed back to the hospital for surgery. Though it initially seemed like he would recover, he coded and never woke up again. The character did get a little bit more closure in his exit than some others have. Somehow, though, the sendoff only makes the whole thing harder. For Andrew’s friends on screen and his fans off it, this shock was hard to absorb.

Sometimes you don’t know a thing until it’s too late. Watching Meredith and her half sister develop their relationship was compelling, but it was Lexie’s romance with Mark Sloan that really hooked us on this character. Which is why the plane crash that abruptly ended her life remains such a painful stand out event in the series. Though Lexie survived the initial wreckage of the plane, it became clear that she was fatally injured. Finally aware of his feelings for her, Mark refused to accept that fact. As the clock wound down on her time, Mark dreamed a future with Lexie that we knew they would never get to have. Realizing how much better they deserved just twists the knife in deeper.

And the hits just kept on coming. Though Mark appeared to have survived the crash with only a crushing heartbreak to show for it, we would soon learn that his heart was in much more physical distress as a result of his injuries. Though he seemed at peace with following Lexie, we still believed that the show couldn’t be so cruel. Oh we of little faith. The next season would open with the revelation that he’d since slipped into a coma. Eventually the difficult decision was made to remove him from life support. Mark’s death would have been sad no matter what, but it’s the one-two punch of losing him and Lexie, plus the tease that he might survive that really wrecked us.

When a John Doe patient was delivered to the ER what little was known about him made it clear he was a hero. Sad, but business as usual at Seattle Grace. That is until Meredith made a terrible discovery. As one of the original newbie doctors who we started the series with, it had been a bittersweet farewell when George O’Malley decided to leave to become an Army trauma surgeon. To discover that he had met such a sudden and brutal fate was truly shocking. George was the kind of character you wanted to see succeed; nothing could have prepared us for how unfair his loss truly was.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Thatcher Grey
It’s Hard Not to Get Emotional Over Deathbed Regrets

Ellis Grey
Her Death Only Got Sadder the More We Learned About This Complicated Relationship

Dylan Young
He Holds the Distinction of Being the Only Character Shonda Rhimes Regrets Killing Off

Mary Portman
She Survived a Major Tragedy Only to Die After a Routine Operation

Doc the Dog
Why is the Dog’s Death Always A Million Times Harder to Watch?

If there was one thing we thought we were sure of it was that Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd were meant to be. The last thing we ever expected was to have Doctor McDreamy stolen from us like he was. Unfortunately, Derek’s instinct to help those in need ended up putting him on a literal collision course with destiny. Still, as bad as it looked his continued internal monologue gave us hope that things would be okay. Ultimately, Meredith was the one who had to make the impossible call to terminate life support. On a series that never shies from tragedy, nothing will ever quite reach the devastating low of watching Meredith’s final goodbye to her soulmate.