Grey’s Anatomy is known for either killing some of its most popular characters or letting them go, but not even death is a definitive end for these characters, as many of them have returned at some point, either in dreams or hallucinations. Some of these characters returned for one special occasion when Grey’s Anatomy celebrated the Day of the Dead, and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was visited by some of her loved ones who have passed away. Grey’s Anatomy has won over the hearts of the audience with its combination of drama and comedy, but the former has been taken too far sometimes.
Not only have Meredith and company dealt with the deaths of many, many patients over the course of 19 seasons, but they have also had to say goodbye to some of their closest friends and colleagues. As the lead of the series, Meredith has seen some of her loved ones die, such as her best friend George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), her half-sister Lexie (Chyler Leigh), and even her husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). However, Grey’s Anatomy has continued their legacies in different ways and hasn’t let Meredith and the rest forget them, and some of them even returned for the Day of the Dead in season 15’s episode “Flowers Out of My Grave”, and here’s every deceased character who visited Meredith that night.
6 George O’Malley
George O’Malley was introduced in Grey’s Anatomy season 1 as an intern alongside Meredith and other beloved characters, as are Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). George became one of Meredith’s closest friends, but unlike his friends, he struggled during his first years at Seattle Grace Hospital. George failed his intern exam as he was distracted by other problems (mostly from his personal life), and even though he did become a resident, he made the sudden decision of joining the U.S. Army in Iraq. Richard Webber (James Pickes Jr) gave him his last day off so he could spend time with his family, but on his way home, George jumped in front of a bus to save a woman’s life. George was brought to the hospital and was severely disfigured, to the point where he was unrecognizable.
George managed to trace “007”, a nickname his friends at the hospital had given him, on Meredith’s hand, who quickly notified the rest that their “John Doe” was George. Despite the team’s efforts, George’s brain swelled during surgery and he was declared brain-dead, so George O’Malley left Grey’s Anatomy in season 6. George appeared in Grey’s Anatomy’s Day of the Dead episode through archive footage, which is why he looks very young.
5 Lexie Grey
Lexie Grey was Meredith’s younger parental half-sister, and she made her debut in Grey’s Anatomy season 3 when she started her internship at Seattle Grace. Meredith wasn’t welcoming of Lexie even though the latter made an effort to get along with her, but with time, Meredith opened up a bit more to her. Unfortunately, in Grey’s Anatomy season 8, Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), and Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) were on their way to assist the surgery of conjoined twins at a hospital in Boise when their plane crashed. Lexie was crushed by a piece of the plane, injuring her pelvis, legs, and left arm, and died minutes after being found. Just like George, Lexie returned thanks to archive footage.
4 Ellis Grey
Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) was Meredith and Maggie’s (Kelly McCreary) mother and a world-famous surgeon. Meredith and Ellis’ relationship was complicated, as Ellis was more focused on her career and her affair with Richard Webber, and all that kept her away from her daughter and even made her forget about her. Ellis was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which further complicated her relationship with Meredith, and she passed away in Grey’s Anatomy season 3. Unlike the above characters, Burton returned to play Ellis Grey in her very brief cameo in the series’ Day of the Dead episode, and she smiled as Meredith walked past her, making it a heartwarming moment.
3 Mark Sloan
Mark Sloan was the Head of Plastic Surgery at Seatle Grace Mercy West Hospital, as well as Derek’s best friend and Lexie’s on-and-off partner. Grey’s Anatomy mostly focused on Mark’s love triangles and other personal problems, but that didn’t make his death any less painful. As mentioned above, Mark was also on the plane when it crashed, and though he seemed fine when he was found by his colleagues and friends, Cristina realized he had a cardiac tamponade (fluid around the heart), but with Meredith’s help, they drained the fluid. Unfortunately, Mark’s health deteriorated, and in Grey’s Anatomy season 9 premiere episode, he was on life support. As determined by his will, the machines were turned off, and he died with Derek and Callie Torres (Sandra Ramirez) by his side. Although he wasn’t close to Meredith, Mark returned to check on her on the Day of the Dead, and just like with George and Lexie, this was achieved through archive footage.
2 Doc
Meredith received an extra special visit on the Day of the Dead: Doc, her dog. Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Meredith adopted Doc in season 2, but the rest of her roommates didn’t like him around the house, so she gave him to Addison (Kate Walsh) and Derek. Meredith continued to visit Doc and would meet Derek in the park to walk him together, but in season 2, Doc got very sick and was diagnosed with bone cancer. Not long after, Doc’s condition worsened and he was put to sleep, and he died with Meredith and Derek by his side. Doc returned to visit Meredith on the Day of the Dead in a surprise but heartwarming appearance.
1 Derek Shepherd
Last but not least, Derek Shepherd visited his wife on the Day of the Dead. Derek and Meredith were Grey’s Anatomy’s main couple during the show’s first 11 seasons, though their relationship was a rollercoaster. After a lot of trouble in their marriage and Derek moving to Washington D.C. for work, Derek decided to move back to Seattle to be with his family, but he had to go back to D.C. to resign. On his way there, he got into a car accident and was taken to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, but even though the team did their best, there were a lot of complications and Derek couldn’t be saved. Meredith decided to remove him from life support, and so Derek Shepherd passed away in Grey’s Anatomy season 11. Patrick Dempsey didn’t return to shoot his cameo appearance in the Day of the Dead episode, so archive footage was used.
