Goodbye Patrick Dempsey: 'Grey's Anatomy' kills McDreamy

Thursday's episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' resulted in an emotional goodbye to Derek -- aka McDreamy and the Shonda Rhimes-created drama's original heartthrob.

Fans still looking for a coping mechanism can watch this tribute video. Set to "How to Save a Life," the show's theme song, the video chronicles Derek's first meeting with Meredith through their courtship, marriage and other near-death encounters.

Fans of hit US television series 'Grey's Anatomy' woke up Friday to a world devoid of 'Dr McDreamy,' a popular character killed off in a car accident, in a devastating blow to devotees.

Dr Derek Shepherd, played by actor Patrick Dempsey since the character was first introduced in the show's 2005 pilot, faced unexpected doom in Thursday's episode when he pulled over to help victims of a car accident.

After helping them into an ambulance, Shepherd gets into his own car to drive to the airport and is hit by an oncoming truck.

The grisly finale included a wrenching scene with wife Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, who agrees to pull the plug on "McDreamy."

"I think it will be very shocking, the way it happens. It's really going to be powerful. But life is like that," Dempsey told Entertainment Weekly.

"I'm still processing it. This is part of the mourning process, the post-Grey's experience."

Dempsey, who only last year signed a two-year extension of his contract, said he was happy with the way his character's role played out in the end.

"It was just a natural progression with the way the story was unfolding. It was like, Okay! This was obviously the right time."

The show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, said that she never imagined saying goodbye to "our McDreamy."

The character became "a meaningful example -- happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true -- of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all," she said in a statement.

Thursday night's shocker on ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' helped boost the veteran medical drama to its largest audience since its September season premiere.

Thursday's episode saw the exit of one of the original castmembers, a plot point that had been leaked earlier Thursday in an Entertainment Weekly report and then confirmed by ABC late last night. The magazine hits newsstands on Friday, but most subscribers get it on Thursday, and many "Grey's" fans knew what was coming in last night's episode.

That certainly helped pump up the ratings for 'Grey's' on the opening night of the May sweep. According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, 'Grey's Anatomy' averaged a 2.8 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 9.4 million viewers overall in the 8 o'clock hour - matching the show's best demo score since its season premiere in September and also drawing its largest overall audience since then.

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