Grey's Anatomy fans are still not over the loss of Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), but he had to go the way he did according to showrunner Shonda Rhimes and Dempsey's onscreen wife.

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Entertainment Tonight reported Tuesday night revealed what Rhimes said during the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour in regard to killing off Dempsey's character.

"What were the options? Either Der was going to walk out on Mer [Ellen Pompeo] and leave her high and dry, and what was that going to mean?" Rhimes dished, adding, "That would suggest the love wasn't true, the thing we had said for 11 years was a lie."

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Throughout the history of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith's relationship with Derek has always been a struggle, but Rhimes wanted their love to remain a strong focal point.

"Meredith and Derek's love had to remain Meredith and Derek's love," she revealed, explaining, "As painful as it was for me as a storyteller, the only way to preserve what felt true to me was Derek was going to have to die for that love to remain honest."

Rhimes teased that Meredith will be single heading into the new season, which is something they'll play around with since Meredith "is living this life that she hadn't thought she was going to be living again."

E! News chatted with Pompeo after Rhimes delved into the finer details on why Derek had to die and she backs the outcome entirely.

"It's called a drama for a reason. It sort of has to be big and dramatic," she said.

Pompeo dished that "the story of losing a loved one... the idea of losing a spouse is such a significant story to tell."

"The opportunity to play that I think is a gift," she added, which seems to hint that Meredith will still be going through the motions of grieving the loss of Derek and transitioning back into life as a single woman.

Grey's Anatomy will premiere its twelfth season on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET.

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