Grey's Anatomy Fans Devastated After Another Heartbreaking Death

Note: This article contains spoilers for Grey's Anatomy season 15 episode 11 'The Winner Takes It All'.

Grey's Anatomy had an emotional episode on Thursday night (January 31) in the US, as one character died and another one lived.

'The Winner Takes It All' focused on two storylines which revolved around two different characters with cancer. Dr Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) has surgery in an attempt to remove her spinal tumour, while Dr Meredith Grey's father Thatcher (Jeff Perry) is dying from terminal cancer and has stopped receiving treatment.

Catherine survives, with 95% of the tumour taken out.

Meanwhile, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) visits her father for the first time in a long while. Lexie and Derek were both mentioned (Thatcher said that he did indeed go to Derek's funeral but Meredith didn't realise because of her grief), and Meredith tells Thatcher about his grandchildren just as he passes away.

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Although Thatcher was an unlikeable character given his past actions on the show over the years, many fans had a lot of sympathy and were devastated by the death.

Among many reactions, one fan described Thatcher's death as "so raw and real":

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The episode's writer Elisabeth R Finch, a person who like Catherine lives with cancer, had said that she wanted to show that "there is no 'right' way to do cancer".

"Both Catherine and Thatcher followed doctors’ orders, took their medicine," she explained to Entertainment Weekly. "One lived. One died.

"When people die from cancer, too often the obituary says the person 'lost their battle', but Thatcher didn't lose. Catherine didn't win. Thatcher died. Catherine survived. There's no winning or losing, just living and dying.

"And Thatcher didn't perpetuate the belief that a 'good' cancer patient 'fights until the bitter end'. His treatment failed, and without apology or shame, he chose to die in his own home, as comfortably as possible."

Grey's Anatomy continues on ABC in the US. It airs on Sky Witness and NOW TV in the UK.

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Jess Lee

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