The death of Patrick Dempsey's "Grey's Anatomy" character, Derek Shepard a.k.a. "McDreamy," was a devastating blow for GA fans.
While there have been so many rumors and speculations about the real reason why the series creator, Shonda Rhimes, wrote off the medical drama's staple character, some reports say that Patrick Dempsey's "Grey's Anatomy" exit was due to his crumbling marriage and divorce with estranged wife, Jillian Fink.
In a recent interview about his divorce, the actor hinted that the split have had something to do with work and his demanding schedule, which ultimately burned him out.
On the other hand, however, reports say that Dempsey was cheating on his wife with one of the "Grey's Anatomy" staff interns.
Ellen Pompeo, who plays Dempsey's on-screen wife, Meredith Grey and who is also good friends with his real-life wife, reportedly told on the actor's on-set affair.
Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes, who is known to place a very high value on professionalism, allegedly fired Dempsey for his extra-marital affair.
A source also said Rhimes had "no patience for that kind of behavior."
Although Dempsey had talked about leaving the show on several occasions before, he reportedly signed on to appear in season 12, which makes "McDreamy's" sudden death all the more shocking and intriguing at the same time.
Following Patrick Dempsey's "Grey's Anatomy" exit after 11 seasons, fans were disgruntled and downright angry, urging Rhimes to explain her side on why she had to kill off Derek Shepard, instead of leaving possibilities for him to re-appear in the show.
"I really couldn't have the idea that he turned out to be a bad guy and walked out on his wife and kids," Rhimes explained. "Derek had to die so that his love for Meredith could remain true and frozen in time."
Patrick Dempsey joins other original cast members who left "Grey's Anatomy," including Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight, Eric Dane, Isaiah Washington and Sandra Oh.
