o'malley died in grey's anatomy in the fifth season.
when does o'malley die in grey's anatomy?
fifth season
in december 2008, reports speculated that knight requested to be released from his contract and that "they were working out the details" at that time. in june 2009, after the conclusion of the fifth season of "grey's anatomy", it was confirmed that knight would not be returning for the show's sixth season. the actor stated the reason for his departure was due to a "breakdown in communication" with rhimes, o'malley's lack of screen time, as well as his decision to be openly gay. prior to the official announcement of his departure, there was speculation that the role of o'malley would be recast, but rhimes labeled it as a "hilarious, ridiculous rumor". after the confirmation of his exit, knight told "tv guide": "leaving "grey's anatomy" was not an easy decision for me to make. i am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much. i continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm." in a statement confirming knight's departure, rhimes said: "i think i speak for the entire "grey's anatomy" family when i say we wish t.r. knight the best in his future endeavors. he is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us."
george o'malley
louise o'malley arrives at the hospital, and asks torres to decide if o'malley's organs will be donated. the victim of a speedboat accident, clara ferguson (zoe boyle), arrives at the hospital in an ambulance, with both of her arms and one of her legs amputated. she is attended to by plastic surgeon dr. mark sloan (eric dane), who informs her that her cut-off arms can be reattached. the hospital's president, larry jennings (mitch pileggi), explains to neurosurgeon dr. derek shepherd (patrick dempsey) that webber has not been substantially completing his role as chief of surgery, and offers shepherd the job. karev reveals o'malley's death to stevens, and torres seeks her help in deciding whether or not to donate o'malley's organs. stevens opinionates that o'malley would give all his organs, and the two come to a mutual conclusion that donation is the correct option. prior to the harvesting of his organs, o'malley's former mentor dr. miranda bailey (chandra wilson) is uneasy about donating his organs, but soon comes to terms with the situation. several days later, at o'malley's funeral, the woman o'malley saved, amanda (shannon lucio) is shown hysterically crying while karev, stevens, meredith, and dr. cristina yang (sandra oh) are laughing—unable to deal with their true emotions. after the funeral, o'malley's former best friend dr. lexie grey (chyler leigh) is designated the job of emptying out his locker, but breaks down. bailey subsequently discharges stevens, and robbins's body pain patient returns, with chronic pain, though robbins is unable to diagnose him. torres approaches webber, seeking information as to whether or not her application to become an attending surgeon has been accepted. webber explains that the job is no longer available, as the surgeon who was going to retire, ultimately did not. torres becomes enraged, saying that the current surgeon who has the job is a dinosaur, and storms out while yelling: "i'm a superstar". the episode closes with lexie consoling the speedboat victim, ferguson.
good mourning (grey's anatomy)