The fans, the writer and the actor — everyone was heartbroken about this death.
Grey’s Anatomy was cruel to its viewers with all the deaths it featured during its 19 seasons but one of the most heartbreaking deaths was the passing of Denny Duquette, who was portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
A surgical intern Izzie Stevens fell in love with the heart-diseased patient and so did the fans. After his heart was transplanted, Denny didn’t make it and broke thousands of hearts that day.
Turns out Shonda Rhimes, the mastermind behind Grey’s Anatomy, felt just as devastated as the show’s loyal fans when she had to conceive the heart-wrenching death of Denny.
In an interview with The Writers Guild Foundation, Rhimes confessed that she shed tears while penning the fateful scene, even though she knew all along that Denny’s fate was sealed.
She revealed that the character was brought on board the show w ith a specific purpose — to die. She even discussed his tragic end with the actor who portrayed him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
However, as the character’s arc progressed, Rhimes grew attached to him. So when it came time to write his demise, she found herself weeping uncontrollably because Izzie felt so authentic to her.
She empathized with Izzie’s character, who lay in bed in disbelief that Denny was gone forever. Jeffrey Dean Morgan had a strong emotional attachment to his character.
Despite knowing that Denny’s time on the show was limited, Morgan made efforts to extend his character’s storyline and pleaded with showrunner Shonda Rhimes to keep him alive.
However, Denny ultimately met his demise in Season 2, which was a difficult experience for Morgan.
In a 2006 interview with The Los Angeles Times, he admitted that he still felt heartbroken about leaving the show and filming his final scenes was a challenging experience.
Morgan’s dedication to his role as Denny Duquette was evident, and his attachment to the character was palpable.
Let’s not blame the creators for making us cry. The show did a great job entertaining us even though we have experienced some harsh reality along the way.
It only proves that the show worked as it was supposed to.