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Just because someone in a series is considered a minor character doesn’t mean fans don’t get attached and grieve after they pass away or leave the show. Stranger Things fans ended up loving Bob, played by Sean Astin, in Season 2, and were heartbroken after his gruesome death. Mike Ehrmantraut, played by Jonathan Banks, from Breaking Bad was another hard side character death for fans to stomach. Grey’s Anatomy fans have endured their fair share of minor character deaths, some of which have struck a chord more than others. 

Read on to learn about which minor Grey’s Anatomy character many fans still haven’t gotten over. 

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Who was Heather Brooks?

Heather Brooks was a side character on Grey’s Anatomy in seasons nine and ten, and she was played by Tina Majorino. She appeared in 22 episodes in total, giving fans plenty of time to learn her background and grow attached to her character. Heather was one of five surgical interns that came to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. 

Heather was incredibly enthusiastic, and many of her coworkers and fellow doctors expressed exasperation for her energetic demeanor. She was also awkward, sometimes saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and cracking jokes that made other people uncomfortable. She had a few nicknames on the show, including Mousey, Weirdo, and Circus Act, which all sum up how the other staffers at the hospital felt about her. 

Despite the frustration some hospital employees might have felt about Heather, many fans found her endearing and relatable. Heather displayed immense compassion for her patients, and this quickly made her a fan favorite. According to PopSugar, Derek Shepherd also took her under his wing, and he once adorably told her to “stay weird”. 

To the dismay of Grey’s Anatomy fans everywhere, Heather Brooks met an unfortunate end in season ten. 

How did Heather Die?

In the episode “I Want You With Me”, the staff at the hospital were dealing with a super storm. At one point, Dr. Shepherd told Shane, an intern from Heather’s class to go find Heather. Shane did find Heather, and he told her that she needed to find Dr. Webber, which Dr. Bailey had told Shane to do. Heather found Dr. Webber in the generator room, and he was enduring an electrical shock. As she approached him to intervene, she stepped into a puddle that had an electrical current running through it. 

Heather got electrocuted and began falling to the ground. On her way down, she hit her head on a generator box. Shane eventually found her, and he and Dr. Shepherd tried to save her in surgery. Sadly, she died in surgery because of too much swelling on her brain. 

After her death, her fellow interns expressed sadness over losing her, despite the fact that none of them had felt very connected to her. 

Fans still can’t get over her death

ELLEN POMPEO
ELLEN POMPEO | Kelsey McNeal/ABC via Getty Images
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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says He Pleaded With Shonda Rhimes to Keep Denny Duquette Alive

Grey’s Anatomy fans took to Reddit to discuss three losses of young staffers that all made an impact on them emotionally. One Redditor commented that, “Her [Heather’s] death was devastating. And she was so young. She should have escaped Shonda’s firing squad.” Some fans refer to the numerous dramatic deaths in the show as “Shonda’s firing squad”.

Shonda Rhimes is the showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. Rhimes has a talent for creating compelling characters and emotional storylines when characters exit the show or die in a dramatic fashion. 

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