15 Grey's Anatomy Character Exits That Devastated Us, Ranked

Shocking character deaths and exits are notorious in Shondaland, where the threat of plane crashes and bombs (not to mention scarring breakups) is always great. Over the years, Grey's Anatomy has seen plenty of cast members come and go, most recently our beloved ladies Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw. Keep reading to refresh your memory on which major characters have left the show. For your tear ducts' sake, we've ranked them by how much their exits emotionally devastated us. It's a beautiful day to cry, right?

15
Addison Montgomery
ABC

Addison Montgomery

After finalizing her divorce with Derek and fling with Alex, Addison realizes there's not much going on for her in Seattle and decides to open her own practice in Los Angeles. Kate Walsh did return to Grey's a few times after season three and landed the lead role in the spinoff Private Practice, so we're not all that mad about her leaving.

14
Teddy Altman
ABC

Teddy Altman

After learning that she's been offered a position at MEDCOM, Owen fires Teddy in season eight . . . but she's back now! Teddy returns to Grey Sloan in season 14 when Megan Hunt is found. A few episodes later, she and Owen even share a moment in Germany that leads to her becoming pregnant with his child! So while we were sad to say goodbye so many years ago, we're just happy she's returned.

13
Erica Hahn
ABC

Erica Hahn

Brought in as Burke's replacement, Erica Hahn develops a romantic relationship with Callie, only to leave her at the beginning of season five. They first argue over the cardiothoracic surgeon's decision to report Izzie, then later Callie's uncertainty around her sexuality. It was nice having Brooke Smith on the show for a while. We were bummed out, but not devastated, to see her go.

12
Callie Torres
ABC

Callie Torres

After a nasty custody battle, Callie and Arizona eventually make up, and the latter agrees to joint custody. Callie moves to New York with Sofia and Penny, leaving us all devastated. While we're heartbroken over her exit, at least Sara Ramirez got to leave on her own terms after season 12. She hasn't come back yet, but we do hear her rendition of "The Story" in season 14's finale.

11
Nathan Riggs
ABC

Nathan Riggs

In season 14, Meredith encourages Nathan (Martin Henderson) to make things work with Megan after her unexpected return, and in the end, her advice sticks. He moves to California with Megan and her adopted son. He has a happy ending, so we have more happy tears for him than tragic ones.

10
Preston Burke
ABC

Preston Burke

Burke basically abandons Cristina at the altar and packs up all of his things when she returns to their apartment. Honestly, we cried more tears because of how Cristina takes his departure. Anyway, Isaiah Washington comes back in season 10 when Burke asks Cristina to take over his heart facility in Switzerland.

09
Stephanie Edwards
ABC

Stephanie Edwards

In the season 13 finale, Stephanie confronts an escaping rapist who tries to trap her and a young child while attempting to start a fire. The surgeon comes out alive, albeit with burns all over her body. Eventually, she quits her job to leave the hospital environment that she's been in all of her life due to her sickle-cell disease. Jerrika Hinton definitely receives a heroic departure, and even the most dry-eyed person has to admit that her farewell is an emotional one.

08
Arizona Robbins
ABC

Arizona Robbins

Arizona leaves Grey Sloan to be nearer to Callie for Sofia's sake. While her departure is sad, she gets a happy ending. The peds surgeon leaves Grey Sloan to open a women's health center with Dr. Herman plus receives some flirty messages from Callie in the season 14 finale. It's not out of the realm of possibility for Jessica Capshaw to come back, but it's not likely.

07
Izzie Stevens
ABC

Izzie Stevens

Izzie (Katherine Heigl) gets fired from Seattle Grace and believes that Alex had caused her to lose her job. She leaves him, later returning after learning that he never did anything to her. She's free of cancer, and Alex is happy for her. Still, he decides to break things off between them for good, realizing that he deserves better. This prompts Izzie to permanently leave Seattle. Her arc feels fizzled out right after her emotional cancer diagnosis throughout season five. At least Alex gets closure, right?

06
April Kepner
ABC

April Kepner

It still stings, but April receives an exit true to her character. Before she leaves Grey Sloan, we see the trauma surgeon slip into a crisis of faith after her ex-fiancé's wife dies in childbirth. And prior to her impromptu wedding with Matthew, April almost dies after falling into a ravine. While she doesn't die, the buildup to her departure cuts deep. Anyway, she has a happily-ever-after with Matthew, devoting her energies to helping the homeless in Seattle to do God's work. Sarah Drew won't likely drop by anytime soon, since she's busy working on CBS's Cagney & Lacey reboot.

05
Mark Sloan
ABC

Mark Sloan

McSteamy (Eric Dane) is one of the unfortunate victims of the plane crash, though he passes away only after getting transferred back to Seattle Grace. You can't be safe even when you're a character who's mostly there for giggles. Anyway, the plastic surgeon gives Jackson love advice before dying from his injuries. We later see Mark, Lexie, George, and Derek again, but only in ghost forms.

04
George O'Malley
ABC

George O'Malley

T.R. Knight didn't get all that much to do during his last season on Grey's, but George's death broke our hearts into smithereens. Just as he's about to leave Seattle Grace to take up a position in the US Army, George gets hit by a bus. Since he's disfigured, the doctors admit him as John Doe, only to later realize his true identity when he traces "007" into Meredith's hand. A few beats later, he's brain-dead.

03
Lexie Grey
ABC

Lexie Grey

We loved Little Grey, a sweet, guileless foil to her dark and twisty sister. Lexie (Chyler Leigh) suffers from a hemothorax during the horrific season eight plane crash and passes away after Mark tells her he loves her.

02
Derek Shepherd
ABC

Derek Shepherd

You know how in the Harry Potter fandom, people sob at "Always"? For Grey's fans, the trigger word is Derek. McDreamy and Meredith are just starting to get along after his stint in Washington when all of a sudden, he gets hit by a car. The understaffed hospital that admits him neglects a CT scan, and, as a result, he ends up brain-dead. It still hurts many seasons later.

01
Cristina Yang
ABC

Cristina Yang

Cristina doesn't greet the Grim Reaper, but her season 10 exit still shocked us all. Anyway, Preston approaches her to take over his innovative heart facility in Switzerland. Derek's death is sad, but losing Cristina is like losing a bit of the show's soul. Her relationship with Meredith made Grey's everything. At least she and Meredith get to dance it out one last time. Her return isn't out of the realm of possibility, but it hasn't happened yet. We do see a curly-haired woman next to Meredith at Derek's funeral, though.