By Staff Writer (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Apr 27, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

Many fans of "Grey's Anatomy" got the shock of their TV-viewing lives when the show's resident hunk, Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey, was killed off the show during Thursday night's episode.

"After witnessing a car crash, Derek saved the lives of those involved - only to have his own car struck by a truck as he left the scene," The Hollywood Reporter said about the fateful episode. "He was then taken to a sub-par hospital where the doctors weren't properly trained to save his life, forcing Meredith to pull the plug on her husband's life."

In a knee-jerk reaction to the shocking death of the major character, who was on the show for the past 11 seasons, a fan had created a Change.org petition "in an effort to bring McDreamy back," Time said.

Right now, 4,268 have already signed the petition. However, Dr. Shepherd will reportedly won't ever be back on the show.

Dempsey, in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, understand fans' heartbreak over his character's disappearance from the show.

"When you go watch the original cast, and someone replaces a cast member... It's not the same. I think any time an original cast member has left; there's always been a void that will never be filled. But it goes on and it will evolve," he said.

Meanwhile, showrunner Shonda Rhimes released a statement about Dempsey's departure from the show, saying that his character "is and will always be an incredibly important character - for Meredith, for me and for the fans," as noted by THR.

"I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our 'McDreamy,'" she continued. "Now, Meredith and the entire Grey's Anatomy family are about to enter uncharted territory as we head into this new chapter of her life. The possibilities for what may come are endless. As Ellis Grey would say: The carousel never stops turning."

The actor had previously hinted at his impending departure from the show in November last year after having signed a 2-year contract for the show - a fact that reportedly angered the people at ABC.

Rumors have it that his exit from "Grey's Anatomy" was partly influenced by his "diva" behavior, which led to clashes with Rhimes.

"Patrick has been acting like a diva and has clashed with Shonda. She suspended him for a while, and the word on set is that he isn't coming back full time," a source was quoted by MailOnline as saying. "Given all the past problems with Isaiah Washington and Katherine Heigl, there is little tolerance on the show for troublesome talent."

"Intriguingly, Dempsey still has a year left on his contract. His character's death leaves his TV wife, Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), as the show's mainstay as it concludes its 11th season in MaY," CNN noted.

Dempsey, however, said that he left the show in good terms with fellow castmates and Rhimes. He also said that he looks forward to racing, developing, and being a dad after saying goodbye to the show. However, he recognizes the many doors and opportunities for progress that the show had opened for him.

"I'm very grateful for what that character, what Shonda and ABC have given to me. It allows me to do so many things. I want to try something different," Dempsey told Entertainment Weekly.

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