Grey’s Anatomy’s 10 Saddest Patient Deaths

Each episode of Grey’s Anatomy introduces new patients, and not all of them survive. There have been many patient deaths, but some hit harder.

Grey’s Anatomy has had many patients come through Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in its 19 seasons, though not all of their stories have happy endings, with many ending in heartbreaking deaths. Grey’s Anatomy season 20 is on the way, making it the longest-running medical drama series in television history. The series follows a procedural format, with each episode introducing new cases and patients that keep things fresh and interesting for over 400 episodes.Grey’s Anatomy has killed off many main characters, but patient deaths have also had a lasting impact on the series and viewers alike.

Most Grey’s Anatomy patients are only on the series for a single episode or a short arc, but it doesn’t make their losses hurt any less. Whether they die in an unexpected freak accident or receive a terminal diagnosis, Grey’s Anatomy is known for making fans cry by pulling at the heartstrings of both the characters and viewers. Grey’s Anatomy will hopefully have a happy ending, but the sad moments are some of the most memorable.

10.Henry Burton

Season 8, Episode 9

One of the longest-lasting patients on Grey’s Anatomy was Henry Burton (Scott Foley), who appeared in 15 episodes in seasons 7 and 8. He was introduced as a patient without insurance who needed life-saving surgery. This led Teddy to impulsively marry him to allow him to reap the benefits of her insurance. Though they were basically strangers, Teddy and Henry’s relationship grew, and they fell in love.

Henry appeared to be getting better and even expressed a desire to go to medical school, only for the doctors to suddenly find a tumor near his heart. Due to their marriage, Teddy couldn’t operate on him, leaving Cristina to do the surgery, though she was unaware of who she was operating on. When Henry died in surgery, it was made all the more heartbreaking by Cristina having to learn that the man on the table was her mentor’s husband. Teddy was eventually fired in the Grey’s Anatomy season 8 finale, only to return in season 14.

9.Wallace Anderson

Season 6, Episode 8

Season 6, episode 8, “Invest In Love” is one Grey’s Anatomy episode that completely explains Arizona’s character. The Arizona-centric episode introduced a young boy named Wallace Anderson who had short gut syndrome and was the longest-staying patient in the pediatric ward. To celebrate his and Arizona’s upcoming shared birthday, his parents announced they’d be donating $25 million to the hospital. The board and Chief Webber put pressure on Arizona to perform a risky surgery on Wallace that she didn’t agree with, and he didn’t survive.

Wallace died on his 11th birthday, and though he’d surpassed expectations for his lifespan, his death hit both Arizona and viewers hard. The fact that it may have been avoided if Arizona hadn’t been pressured into the surgery made it even more painful. Wallace had been afraid of dying and Arizona doing his mother’s routine to chase away his bad dreams in the morgue was tear-inducing.

8.Denny Duquette

Season 2, Episode 27

Another popular doctor-patient relationship in Grey’s Anatomy was between Denny Duquette and Izzie Stevens. He had congestive heart failure and was in desperate need of a heart transplant. To get him the heart he needed, his condition needed to worsen, leading Izzie to make the controversial decision to cut his LVAD wire. Though he was able to get a new heart and propose to Izzie, he had a stroke later that night and passed away.

The image of Izzie in her prom dress lying in Denny’s hospital bed with his dead body is one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most enduring. The plot twist of having him die just after the transplant saved his life made his passing just as shocking as it was sad. His death had a lasting impact on Izzie, who later envisioned him in season 5 when she was battling cancer.

7.Susan Grey

Season 3, Episode 23

Meredith’s relationship with her father, Thatcher, was always a complicated one in Grey’s Anatomy, but his second wife, Susan, did her best to try and repair it. Meredith also had a rocky relationship with her mother, Ellis, and her stepmother was a warm, welcome change. When she came to the hospital with a long-lasting case of the hiccups, it didn’t seem serious, but she later went into septic shock and died in surgery.

There have been some crazy deaths in Grey’s Anatomy, but dying of the hiccups was one of the strangest. When Meredith told Thatcher that she died, he blamed her and slapped her in the face, adding to the pain she was feeling at that moment. At the end of Thatcher’s life, Meredith was able to put the past behind to be with him while he was on his deathbed, a moment that would never have been possible if not for Susan Grey.

6.Bonnie Crasnoff

Season 2, Episode 6

Grey’s Anatomy season 2, episode 6, “Into You Like A Train,” is one of the show’s best and most memorable, and part of that is thanks to patient Bonnie Crasnoff. After a train crash, Bonnie and a stranger named Tom were impaled on the same pole, bonding them as the doctors struggled to come up with a solution that could save them both. Since Bonnie’s injuries were more extensive, they made the difficult decision to save Tom’s life over hers.

Tom was reluctant, but Bonnie convinced him that it was the right decision. Though she put on a strong face, the scene of her asking Tom if he believed in heaven, as she knew she was going to die, was tearjerking. Bonnie later returned in season 3 when Meredith was in the “afterlife” after her drowning incident.

5.Mary Portman

Season 7, Episode 6

Mandy Moore guest starred in Grey’s Anatomy seasons 6 and 7 as Mary Portman, one of Bailey’s patients. When the hospital was placed on lockdown because of an active shooter, Bailey and Percy hid with Mary in her room. When the shooter came into the room, Bailey had Mary play dead, which she did successfully. Though Bailey’s life was spared when she lied about being a nurse, Percy was fatally shot.

After surviving the Grey’s Anatomy shooting, Mary returned in season 7 for another surgery. Though it had gone well, Mary never woke up from the anesthesia. The reason for her unexpected death was sadly never found and had a profound impact on Bailey.

4.Kyle Diaz

Season 12, Episode 23

In Grey’s Anatomy season 12, That ’70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama guest starred as Kyle Diaz, a guitar player with multiple sclerosis. Like Izzie and Teddy before her, Stephanie fell in love with her patient. After successful treatments for his hand tremors, he returned with an infection and was taken into surgery, which he didn’t survive. Grey’s Anatomy put Stephanie through a lot, and the image of her watching her boyfriend die from the OR gallery made Kyle’s death one of the show’s saddest.

3.Jessica Smithson

Season 5, Episode 20

In Grey’s Anatomy season 5, Bailey explored the idea of becoming a pediatric surgeon. Though she ultimately stuck with general surgery, Bailey proved that she was skilled at working with child patients when Jessica Smithson came to the hospital. The young girl had been born with Tay-Sachs, and, after a seizure, it became clear that she was at the end of her life.

Her father, in denial, just wanted more time to put money together for them to go to Mexico for experimental treatment. When he left the hospital, Bailey rocked the scared little girl to sleep. As she was dying, Bailey convinced him to hold his daughter. He lied to her, telling her about what it would be like for them in Mexico with “no more doctors, no more medicine, no more hospitals, just you and me” to give her a final sense of peace. Viewers and Bailey alike couldn’t hold back their tears as Jessica took her last labored breath.

2.Harold O’Malley

Season 3, Episode 12

George’s father was diagnosed with cancer in Grey’s Anatomy season 3. After successful surgeries, he went into multi-system organ failure and was taken off life support at George’s suggestion. George and Cristina had a love-hate relationship, but she was the perfect person to talk to him afterward when she welcomed him into the “dead dads club.” When George told her that he didn’t know how to exist in a world where his dad didn’t, she was honest with him, telling him that would never really change. The scene between them was both sad and unexpectedly heartwarming.

1.Jimmy Evans

Season 10, Episode 13

Alex Karev has one of the most difficult and traumatic backstories of any Grey’s Anatomy character. He grew up with a father who struggled with alcoholism and a mother with schizophrenia. From a young age, he had to look after his siblings and ended up bouncing between foster homes after his father left. When James “Jimmy” Evans came to the hospital in Grey’s Anatomy season 10, it seemed like he and Alex might be able to patch up their relationship.

Sadly, Alex discovered that his father had left him and his siblings and had another family that he left as well. He didn’t even appear to recognize Alex as his son at first. Still, Alex sat beside him as he was dying, providing him with comfort. Despite starting Grey’s Anatomy as a sexist, arrogant jerk, moments like this showed just how much Alex had developed over the years.