All the Major Characters Who Have Been Killed Off of Shonda Rhimes' Shows
Henry Burton (Scott Foley)
It would have been bad enough for Henry to die, but the fact that it was Cristina who killed him made it even worse. She had no idea it was Teddy's husband that she was operating on, and Cristina's reaction when she discovered the truth was the most devastating part.
Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)
We got a little bit of closure with this one since Mark had a "surge" and said his goodbyes before he slipped into a coma again post-plane crash. Callie was the one who had to remove his life support, which we saw again when Meredith did the same for Derek.
Dylan Young (Kyle Chandler)
No, Coach, no! Meredith survived taking the bomb out of the man, but as Dylan was walking it out of the building, it exploded and killed him. Not OK. Still not OK.
Ellis Grey (Kate Burton)
Ellis dies without anyone around her, but she ends up "saving" Meredith at the same time. As her heart fails, she speaks to Meredith in some alternate universe afterlife and tells her "you shouldn't be here" and "you're anything but ordinary," causing Mer to wake up.
Adele Webber (Loretta Devine)
Even though we could have seen this coming, the fact that Adele died offscreen made it a shocker. And then Richard went to Bailey's wedding and only told Meredith and they cried together. So many emotions.
Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner) and Charles Percy (Robert Baker)
Before Percy could tell Reed about how he felt, they were both killed during the horrible season-six hospital shooting.
Heather Brooks (Tina Majorino)
Shane tried to get Heather to do his work, but it ended up with her finding Richard electrocuted and then dying because she was zapped too. Tragic.
Craig Thomas (William Daniels)
Cristina's mentor (and only friend in Minnesota) died in the middle of surgery—falling to the floor and shocking everyone. The only silver lining was that it got her to move back to Seattle, albeit temporarily.
Susan Grey (Mare Winningham)
Susan somehow died of hiccups, which is one of the most terrifying things in the world. Her health declined over a few days, but no one expected her to actually die, and then Thatcher (Jeff Perry) slapped Meredith once he found out his wife had passed away.
Paul Stadler (Matthew Morrison)
Jo's estranged, abusive husband died from second-impact brain-swelling after hitting his head on the floor at the hospital, where he was admitted after getting into a car crash. Believe me, watching this unfold was as insane (and convoluted) as reading it back now.
Private Practice
