Grey's Anatomy killed off Meredith's dad Thatcher Grey and fans are devastated

1 February 2019, 21:55

By Katie Louise Smith

Thatcher Grey, played by Jeff Perry, returned to Grey's Anatomy for one last reunion with his daughter Meredith before his emotional death.

Hello? Is that the police? Yes, Grey's Anatomy did it again... They killed off another character and it made me and thousands of other people cry.

It was announced last year that we would be seeing an ol' familiar face return to Grey's. The character in question? Meredith's estranged father Thatcher Grey (played by Jeff Perry) who hasn't been seen on the show in almost 8 seasons. In fact, the last time we saw him, he received part of Meredith's liver in a bid to save his life.

In the latest episode, two characters face their own battles with cancer. Catherine Fox undergoes life-saving surgery, while it's revealed that Thatcher is dying of cancer and is now being cared for in a hospice. One of those characters lives - Catherine, and the other one dies - Thatcher. And his death has left fans absolutely devastated.

What happened to Thatcher Grey?

Meredith is informed by Richard that Thatcher only has a few days left to live so she reluctantly goes to visit him. It turns out that since Meredith saved Thatcher's life with that transplant, he's turned his life around. Following Lexie's death (yes, the mention of Lexie's name was brutal), he went to Zimbabwe to helping to build schools. Of course, Meredith calls him out for not sticking around and making a difference with his actual family but he then reveals that he went to Derek's funeral too. (Double punch to the gut!)

In the end, Meredith was able to get some closure with her father. She told him about his grandchildren and eventually, he slipped away. Despite Thatcher being far from everyone's favourite character, the scene was absolutely devastating and fans are in their feelings about his death - and the mention of both Derek and Lexie too.

GREY'S ANATOMY - WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!