George O’Malley dies on the 1st episode of season 6 titled, “Good Mourning”. The episode was directed by Ed Ornelas and written by Krista Vernoff. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 24, 2009. T. R. Knight, who played Dr. George O'Malley in the series, made his final main appearance in the episode. O'Malley dies in the Season 6 premiere after suffering a potentially deadly accident in the episode.
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama that centers on the personal and professional lives of attendings, residents, and surgical interns at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, which was subsequently renamed the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The pilot was written by Shonda Rhimes, who also served as executive producer, head writer, and showrunner until her departure in 2015.
How does George die in Grey’s Anatomy?
Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) introduces the Kübler-Ross model, commonly referred to as the five stages of grief, in the voice-over narration that opens the episode. Following George O'Malley's (T. R. Knight) injuries from being struck by a bus, the doctors at Seattle Grace are coping with the aftermath. In the meantime, Katherine Heigl's character Izzie Stevens, who flatlined after the Season 5 finale, has been brought back to life.
George's ex-wife, Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), has an emotional breakdown after learning of his death. When it is discovered that George's status as an organ donor is unclear, the issue becomes much more difficult, and the Chief of Surgery, Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.), calls George's mother, Louise (Debra Monk), to make the decision.
George's death is not immediately disclosed to Stevens, who is still recuperating from her near-death experience, and her husband, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), chooses not to do so out of concern that it could hamper her recovery. Jessica Capshaw plays Arizona Robbins, a pediatric surgeon who first treats a patient who complains of body aches as growing pains.
When George's mother arrives at the hospital, she urges Torres to make the tough choice about George's organ donation. In the meantime, plastic surgeon Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) tells Clara Ferguson (Zoe Boyle), a speedboat accident victim, that they might be able to reattach her severed limbs after she is admitted to the hospital with multiple amputations.
On the other hand, Citing Webber's recent failures in the position, hospital president Larry Jennings (Mitch Pileggi) contacts Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) with an offer to replace him as Chief of Surgery. Stevens is devastated to hear of George's death, but she agrees with Torres that George would have wanted to help others, so they decide to donate his organs.
Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), George's former mentor, finds it difficult to accept the loss when organ donation preparations get underway, but she gradually comes to deal with it. While Meredith, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Karev, and Stevens awkwardly laugh and joke at George's funeral, the woman O'Malley saved, Amanda (Shannon Lucio), is shown sobbing uncontrollably.
George's close friend and coworker, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), is assigned to clear his locker but cries in sorrow. Bailey releases Stevens from the hospital following the funeral, and Robbins is left puzzled when her young patient returns with chronic discomfort that she is unable to identify.
When Torres finds out that her application for a post as an attending surgeon has been rejected because the surgeon who was meant to retire chose to stay, she becomes furious. Torres lashes out at Webber, calling herself a "superstar". Clara Ferguson, the speedboat victim, gets comforted by Lexie as she deals with her recuperation at the end of the episode.
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Why did George O’Malley leave Grey’s Anatomy?
Knight made his breakthrough appearance on the ABC medical program Grey's Anatomy in 2005 as Dr. George O'Malley. O'Malley began as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital and advanced to the position of resident. Knight thought the show would run for one season when he tried out.
It was confirmed in 2009, following the end of the fifth season, that Knight would not be returning for the sixth season of the show. The actor linked his departure to his decision to come out as gay, his character's lack of screen time, and a "breakdown in communication" with executive producer Shonda Rhimes.
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FAQs about George O’Malley’s death
George O’Malley dies on Grey’s Anatomy 1st episode of season 6 titled, “Good Mourning”.
George died in the first episode of the sixth season of Grey’s Anatomy. In the finale episode of season 5, it was revealed that the severely injured “Jon Doe” is George O’Malley himself. In the premiere episode of the sixth season, George is declared brain dead during surgery.
George O’Malley reappeared once again as a guest star in the 4th episode of the 17th season in a dream sequence.
