'We R grateful all of you are so passionate but if you knew these two women the way I know them they would not approve of all this nastiness,' Pompeo wrote.
"As writers, our job is to follow the stories where they want to go and sometimes that means saying goodbye to characters we love," showrunner Krista Vernoff said.
Last night, Grey’s Anatomy fans were heartbroken and shocked to discover that one of their favorite, most enduring characters would be killed off in the newest episode — hours before it even aired. Thanks to a mistake made by Entertainment Weekly, the death of Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka “McDreamy”) was well-known before audiences had the chance to watch the episode. That should have taken some of the sting out by allowing them to prepare for the tragic, abrupt death of Shepherd, but instead it only served to exacerbate outrage.