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SPOILER ALERT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THURSDAY'S EPISODE OF "GREY'S ANATOMY," STOP READING NOW.

Was Patrick Dempsey's exit from "Grey's Anatomy" a surprise? Well, yes and no.

Yes. because fans didn't see it coming in Thursday's episode. No, because Dempsey has been talking about wanting to leave the show for years.

Two years ago, Dempsey told TV critics that, at that point, continuing to appear in "Grey's Anatomy" was about "endurance." That his passion was elsewhere — in car racing — but acting was more like "a trade."

Yes, he was handsomely rewarded to act in "Grey's Anatomy." He has plenty of money to last him the rest of his life.

Which means he no longer needed a job that bored him.

If you missed Thursday's episode, Derek was driving behind an accident that seriously injured three people. Derek saved their lives.

He couldn't call for help because they were in a remote area with no cellphone reception. However, the episode never explained why Derek didn't put them in his undamaged SUV, which would have seemed preferable to hoping someone would see the smoke from the exploding car and come help. But that's "Grey's Anatomy" writing.

Anyway, as Derek was beginning to drive away after EMTs have evacuated the victims, he was distracted when his cellphone rings. As he reached for it, his SUV was hit by a truck.

He was transported to the nearby hospital. Doctors fail to treat his head injury before his abdominal injury, and Derek dies. His wife, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), arrives at the hospital and agrees Derek should be disconnected from the machines.

Here's the thing. Dempsey was right. His character has had little to do for several seasons.

The most interesting thing Derek has done in years is die.

And this may not be a bad thing for the show. Meredith has been relatively boring for quite some time, too. Watching the character deal with being a widow opens up a lot of story possibilities.

Dempsey hasn't had anything to say about his exit from the show yet. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes issued this statement:

"Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character — for Meredith, for me and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our 'McDreamy.' Patrick Dempsey's performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example — happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true — of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all. 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."

And ABC issued this statement:

"After 11 seasons on Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey is moving on to pursue other interests. Dr. Derek Shepherd is an iconic character and we've been proud to be the home of 'McDreamy' and the 'Mer/Der' love story. The devotion of Grey's fans throughout the years has been a testament to the creative mind of Shonda Rhimes and Dempsey's talent. 'McDreamy' will be greatly missed and we wish Patrick the very best in his future endeavors."