It’s been five days since the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy ended with the sudden and shocking death of the character Lexie Grey played by Chyler Leigh. But fans are still in mourning.
A Twitter support community even began growing over the weekend.
Television producer and RumorFix reader Brad Bessey was wondering why we feel so attached to such a fictional character? And, why are we crying over her death?
So, Brad helped RumorFix reach out to David Kessler, one of the world’s foremost experts on grief, death and dying, for his perspective.
“It’s all about attachment,” David says. “We attach to those who hold our attention, our time, our love. Didn’t we love Lucy McGillicuddy Ricardo? How about Mary Richards aka Mary Tyler Moore? They weren’t real. They didn’t even die on TV, but we missed their characters when they were gone.”
The grief expert goes on to say, “We attach to them and we miss them when we know we will never again see that actor, playing that part. This is why the TV death holds our attention and brings on sadness — much the same way a real death does.”
In the end, “The grief is real, because the attachment is real,” he says.
