'Grey's Anatomy' Season 11 cast news: Why is Patrick Dempsey leaving Grey's Anatomy series?

Fans of the popular medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" got some shocking news recently: lead actor Patrick Dempsey left the show for good.

ABC, the network which airs "Grey's Anatomy," released a statement confirming Dempsey's departure from the show.

"After 11 seasons on 'Grey's Anatomy,' Patrick Dempsey is moving on to pursue other interests," ABC said in a statement, as quoted by The Boston Herald.

The network also paid tribute to Dempsey's character, Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd.

 "Dr. Derek Shepherd is an iconic character and we've been proud to be the home of McDreamy and the 'Mer/Der' love story… McDreamy will be greatly missed and we wish Patrick the very best in his future endeavors," the network's statement read.

Showrunner Shonda Rhimes also confirmed in a separate statement that Shepherd was leaving the show, despite a deal he earlier signed committing him to "Grey's Anatomy" until 2016.

"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," Rhimes said in her statement.

"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," she added.

Dempsey's character was killed off from the show during its emotional April 23 episode. The show's lead character, Dr. Meredith Grey (played by actress Ellen Pompeo), decided to take him off life support after a car crash.

Dempsey took to Twitter to express gratitude for the show's followers.

"I want to thank all the fans, what an incredible 11 years. I love you all," Dempsey posted on his Twitter account last April 24.