20 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths EVER

Derek Shepherd was the beloved backbone of Grey's Anatomy during its first 11 seasons. The husband of Meredith Grey, he died as he lived: saving lives and trying to make things work. 

In season 11, after taking a job in Washington, Derek and Meredith found their marriage strained and careers diverging, but a little soul searching led them to beautifully reunite, confess their undying love for each other, and look to a bright future for their growing family. 

It's a blissful moment in a marriage with many, but in reality it was a final goodbye for the pair. Preparing to go to Washington once last time, Derek saved some people from a car crash en route to the airport, and was then blindsided by a speeding truck, leaving him a coma from which he never awoke. 

Hard as it was to watch Meredith lose her soulmate, it was harder to accept Derek's death as it happened, since the hospital he was in had numerous opportunities to save him but missed them all. McDreamy, we miss you!