| “ | Don't look at me like that. Like I'm damaged goods. I'm still me. I'm still here. | ” |
— Adele Webber to Richard Webber
| ||
Adele Webber was the wife of Richard Webber. She had Alzheimer's and died of a heart attack after surgery.
Quick Answers
What was the cause of Adele Webber's death?
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History[]
Richard's Brain Surgery[]
After the surgery to remove Richard's brain tumor, Derek called Adele to inform her about it, as Richard hadn't told her himself. Derek did it because having someone at home with him was the only way he was allowing Richard to leave the hospital, and so Adele ditched her trip to the Virgin Island to take care of her husband. When she came to the hospital to visit him, Addison stopped by too. Adele told them that she knew they'd get back together, but Derek denied this, saying he and Addison were over. ("Enough is Enough")
Richard's Anxiety Attack[]
When Richard was dealing with the bomb scare at the hospital, he had what looked like a heart attack, so his wife was called. She refused to let him get out of bed and go back to work. ("As We Know It")
Camille's Cancer[]
Adele was chaperoning Camille's prom when Camille passed out while having sex. Adele came into the ER with her, where Addison broke the news to her that Camille's ovarian cancer had returned. When Richard sent her friends away, Adele yelled at him, saying he needed to make it up to Camille and put their family ahead of the hospital. ("Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response")
Marital Problems[]
Adele made an appointment to see her husband, knowing that's the only way she'd get some time with him. She was very upset when he left during their meeting time to deal with a hospital issue. When he returned later, she said it was time for him to retire, to choose her over the hospital. She was upset when he wanted time to think about it, saying she didn't have any more time to give. ("Time Has Come Today")
Richard later decided he was going to step down. He told the board and came to Adele's with flowers. However, she said she'd told him months ago she didn't have any more time to give, and Richard realized she had begun seeing someone else. She told him she was sorry, but wondered what he expected. ("Great Expectations")
Pregnancy[]
Adele came into the ER after being in a minor car accident. While she was being examined, she confessed to Addison that she was pregnant. She had some spotting, so Addison wanted to keep her overnight for observation, but Adele later passed out in a bathroom with vaginal bleeding. ("Testing 1-2-3")
She was taken to the ER, where Addison examined her. Addison told Richard that Adele might be having a miscarriage. When Adele woke up, Addison did an ultrasound and was able to find a fetal heartbeat, though it was slow. She gave her a transfusion and fluids in the hopes it would help. However, Adele was later rushed to the OR. Addison did what she could, but she was unable to save the pregnancy. ("Didn't We Almost Have It All?")
After her miscarriage, she still wouldn't allow Richard to move back in and wasn't returning his calls. ("A Change is Gonna Come")
Camille's Decision to Die[]
Adele came into the ER with Camille, who was unable to breathe. When they found out that her cancer had spread, Camille said she wanted to die, but Adele and Arlene begged Richard to convince her to have more treatment. He planned to, but backed off when he saw how tired and worn down Camille was. Adele was upset, saying she'd already lost one baby and now was losing another. Richard told her that she couldn't use Camille to make up for the fact that they never had children. ("The Heart of the Matter")
Date and Tell[]
When several of the nurses complained about Mark Sloan, Adele was brought on as a nurse mediator and worked with Wayne Sheehan to develop a Date and Tell policy to protect the hospital from potential litigation. She'd taken the job so that she could feel important. ("The Becoming")
Richard and Bailey's Fight[]
When Bailey decided to go into pediatric surgery, Richard became upset with her. As a result, Bailey called in Adele, who yelled at both of them. ("I Will Follow You Into the Dark")
Richard's Alcoholism[]
Adele came into the hospital worried because Richard hadn't come home the night before and hadn't called. She thought something might have happened to him. When she saw the way Bailey interacted with Richard, she asked if they were having an affair. Bailey vehemently denied it, but Adele was still convinced he was having an affair with someone. ("New History")
Alzheimer's[]
Adele came into the hospital with a broken wrist and was confused about the events that led up to her fall. Meredith ran a CT, suspecting a head injury. The CT was clean, so Meredith suggested that Adele might have Alzheimer's. Richard flatly rejected the idea and took Adele home. ("Golden Hour")
Shortly after that, Adele came into the hospital after a second accident. She claimed she fell due to the shoes she was wearing, but Richard was concerned and asked Bailey to run tests to try to figure out the cause of her falls. Her tests showed nothing physically wrong with her, so Bailey told Richard he should get Derek to check Adele out. He then asked Derek to examine her. ("Not Responsible")
Derek ran some tests and diagnosed Adele with Alzheimer's. Richard begged Derek to include Adele in his Alzheimer's trial, though Derek said the trial and the waiting list were both full, plus they didn't even know if she fit the criteria for the trial. When Sonya Amin dropped out of the trial, Derek agreed to screen Adele for his trial. She scored one point too high to qualify, but still had Alzheimer's. ("This is How We Do It")
After seeing a post-it that had fallen off Richard's sweater that labelled him as Adele's husband, Meredith figured out that Adele's condition had quickly gotten worse. After a clinical trial patient died, they re-tested her and found that she met the criteria for the trial. After Meredith spoke with Adele and Adele mistook her for Ellis, Meredith realized how much worse she'd gotten. She joined the trial and had her surgery. After Richard told her that all he wanted was to be with Adele, Meredith went into the pharmacy where the packets were being kept and after finding out that Adele was designated to get the placebo, she switched the packet with another one so she'd get the active agent. ("It's a Long Way Back")
On the day Richard performed his 10,000th surgery, Adele tried to walk to the hospital to find Richard. Their neighbor, Mrs. Vanderburg, found her and drove her the rest of the way. Once at the hospital, she demanded to see Richard. April took her to the gallery so she could see him operate, where she saw Meredith operating with him and believed it was Ellis. When she started to yell, Meredith suggested that Richard use a happy memory to try grounding her, something that worked with Ellis. He started singing their wedding song, My Funny Valentine, to her and she sang along. He then took her home and put her to bed. ("Hope for the Hopeless")
One morning, Richard woke up to find that Adele had started a fire in her confusion. He was burned trying to put the fire out. This incident made him realize Adele might need more care than he could give and they toured Roseridge Home for Extended Care together. She said that he had promised to buy her a house, confused about what they were doing there and he decided to take her home. When she later saw that she had gotten confused and thrown things at a nurse and then at Richard, she asked him if she had Alzheimer's. She then said that Roseridge seemed like a nice place and they agreed that she'd go there. ("If Only You Were Lonely")
At the home, her condition continued to deteriorate and she developed a romantic relationship with Allan, another resident with dementia. When Richard found them in bed together, he asked that she be moved to another room. In the new room, she was upset and asked about Allan, unable to remember Richard, even after he sang My Funny Valentine to her. After realizing that his presence was doing more harm than good, Richard left and allowed Allan to take his seat. ("The Girl with No Name")
Death[]
While Richard and Bailey were being driven to Bailey's wedding in a limo, Richard got a phone call from the hospital. They informed him that Adele was coming to the ER. Bailey then ordered the limo driver to take them to the hospital immediately. Right after her arrival, she started to take care of Adele. Richard wanted to do it at first, but he wasn't allowed because he was a family member. ("Run, Baby, Run")
Bailey postponed her wedding, which led to Meredith coming back to the hospital to take over from Bailey. However, Bailey didn't want to leave Adele and they operated on her together. During surgery, they ran out of options, but Richard came with an idea that they used to successfully fix the aneurysm.
After surgery, Adele woke up. Richard stayed with her and Meredith and Bailey returned to the wedding. However, when Richard eventually showed up at the wedding as well, Meredith knew something was wrong with Adele. Richard told her she died of a heart attack because the surgery was too much for her heart. ("Things We Said Today")
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Richard Webber[]
Adele married Richard Webber when she was 25. She always knew about his affair with Ellis Grey but didn't leave him as she loved him and knew he would eventually end it, but she had finally had enough when Richard put his other hospital patients above her dying niece.
When Richard failed to return home on the night of the prom, she made an appointment to see him at the office, but was blown off because of another hospital emergency. It proved one too many, however, and she gave him an ultimatum: her or the hospital. Richard tried to avoid making the choice, but Adele was tired of his indecision, and left him.
When Dr. Richard Webber quit his job as the Chief of Surgery, he returned to Adele to find out that she had moved on and appeared to be involved with another man. She is in the process of divorcing Richard when she is involved in a small car accident, and is hospitalized. She reveals to Addison that she is pregnant. After being released, she faints in a bathroom and is found by Richard. It is discovered that she is having complications with the pregnancy and will have to undergo surgery. Despite the fact that he believes that he is not the baby's father, Dr. Webber stays at his wife's side even when she tells him to leave her be. This support eventually brings them back together. After the surgery, Adele loses the baby and tells Richard that the baby was indeed his and that there was never any other man in her life.
When Richard showed Adele that he was spending fewer hours at work and had even gotten himself an intern, they spent the night together. ("The Becoming")
He later told Adele he wanted to come home and she said it was about time. ("Freedom, Part 2")
Their relationship remained steady until Adele started to deteriorate due to Alzheimer's disease. It eventually led to her death when she developed a large aneurysm and then died of a heart attack after her surgery. ("Things We Said Today")
Allan[]
While Adele is in the Roseridge Home for Extended Care, she meets Allan, another man who also has Alzheimer's. Since she doesn't remember Richard, she falls in love with Allan and they begin a physical and emotional relationship. ("The Girl with No Name")
Career[]
Adele used to be a nurse for thirty years at Seattle Grace Hospital, where her husband Richard worked. Some time after she retired, she was brought on as a nurse mediator and worked with Wayne Sheehan to develop a Date and Tell policy to protect the hospital from potential litigation.
Notes and Trivia[]
- She lost her virginity at the age of 18, but doesn't remember much about it.[1]
- She loved mystery book series.[2]
- She was married to Richard for 32 years.
- She attended the wedding of a young Miranda Bailey and Tucker Jones with her husband, Richard. ("I Was Made for Lovin' You") Bailey was a "child" when she married Tucker, according to her husband, implying they married very young. ("Run, Baby, Run") Webber also got the couple a set of ramekins for the wedding. It is unknown how Adele or Webber knew Bailey or Tucker as a couple or one or the other as individuals prior to her internship.
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" | #10 | "Much too Much" | #19 | "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" |
| #02 | "Enough is Enough" | #11 | "Owner of a Lonely Heart" | #20 | "Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole" |
| #03 | "Make Me Lose Control" | #12 | "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" | #21 | "Superstition" |
| #04 | "Deny, Deny, Deny" | #13 | "Begin the Begin" | #22 | "The Name of the Game" |
| #05 | "Bring the Pain" | #14 | "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies" | #23 | "Blues for Sister Someone" |
| #06 | "Into You Like a Train" | #15 | "Break on Through" | #24 | "Damage Case" |
| #07 | "Something to Talk About" | #16 | "It's the End of the World" | #25 | "17 Seconds" |
| #08 | "Let It Be" | #17 | "As We Know It" | #26 | "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response" |
| #09 | "Thanks for the Memories" | #18 | "Yesterday" | #27 | "Losing My Religion" |
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 3 | |||||
| #01 | "Time Has Come Today" | #10 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | #19 | "My Favorite Mistake" |
| #02 | "I Am a Tree" | #11 | "Six Days, Part 1" | #20 | "Time After Time" |
| #03 | "Sometimes a Fantasy" | #12 | "Six Days, Part 2" | #21 | "Desire" |
| #04 | "What I Am" | #13 | "Great Expectations" | #22 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 1" |
| #05 | "Oh, the Guilt" | #14 | "Wishin' and Hopin'" | #23 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 2" |
| #06 | "Let the Angels Commit" | #15 | "Walk on Water" | #24 | "Testing 1-2-3" |
| #07 | "Where the Boys Are" | #16 | "Drowning on Dry Land" | #25 | "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" |
| #08 | "Staring at the Sun" | #17 | "Some Kind of Miracle" | ||
| #09 | "From a Whisper to a Scream" | #18 | "Scars and Souvenirs" | ||
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 4 | |||||
| #01 | "A Change is Gonna Come" | #07 | "Physical Attraction... Chemical Reaction" | #13 | "Piece of My Heart" |
| #02 | "Love/Addiction" | #08 | "Forever Young" | #14 | "The Becoming" |
| #03 | "Let the Truth Sting" | #09 | "Crash Into Me, Part 1" | #15 | "Losing My Mind" |
| #04 | "The Heart of the Matter" | #10 | "Crash Into Me, Part 2" | #16 | "Freedom, Part 1" |
| #05 | "Haunt You Every Day" | #11 | "Lay Your Hands on Me" | #17 | "Freedom, Part 2" |
| #06 | "Kung Fu Fighting" | #12 | "Where the Wild Things Are" | ||
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 5 | |||||
| #01 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me, Part 1" | #09 | "In the Midnight Hour" | #17 | "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" |
| #02 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me, Part 2" | #10 | "All By Myself" | #18 | "Stand By Me" |
| #03 | "Here Comes the Flood" | #11 | "Wish You Were Here" | #19 | "Elevator Love Letter" |
| #04 | "Brave New World" | #12 | "Sympathy for the Devil" | #20 | "Sweet Surrender" |
| #05 | "There's No 'I' in Team" | #13 | "Stairway to Heaven" | #21 | "No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)" |
| #06 | "Life During Wartime" | #14 | "Beat Your Heart Out" | #22 | "What a Difference a Day Makes" |
| #07 | "Rise Up" | #15 | "Before and After" | #23 | "Here's to Future Days" |
| #08 | "These Ties That Bind" | #16 | "An Honest Mistake" | #24 | "Now or Never" |
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 6 | |||||
| #01 | "Good Mourning" | #09 | "New History" | #17 | "Push" |
| #02 | "Goodbye" | #10 | "Holidaze" | #18 | "Suicide is Painless" |
| #03 | "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me" | #11 | "Blink" | #19 | "Sympathy for the Parents" |
| #04 | "Tainted Obligation" | #12 | "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" | #20 | "Hook, Line and Sinner" |
| #05 | "Invasion" | #13 | "State of Love and Trust" | #21 | "How Insensitive" |
| #06 | "I Saw What I Saw" | #14 | "Valentine's Day Massacre" | #22 | "Shiny Happy People" |
| #07 | "Give Peace a Chance" | #15 | "The Time Warp" | #23 | "Sanctuary" |
| #08 | "Invest in Love" | #16 | "Perfect Little Accident" | #24 | "Death and All His Friends" |
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 7 | |||||
| #01 | "With You I'm Born Again" | #09 | "Slow Night, So Long" | #17 | "This is How We Do It" |
| #02 | "Shock to the System" | #10 | "Adrift and at Peace" | #18 | "Song Beneath the Song" |
| #03 | "Superfreak" | #11 | "Disarm" | #19 | "It's a Long Way Back" |
| #04 | "Can't Fight Biology" | #12 | "Start Me Up" | #20 | "White Wedding" |
| #05 | "Almost Grown" | #13 | "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" | #21 | "I Will Survive" |
| #06 | "These Arms of Mine" | #14 | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" | #22 | "Unaccompanied Minor" |
| #07 | "That's Me Trying" | #15 | "Golden Hour" | ||
| #08 | "Something's Gotta Give" | #16 | "Not Responsible" | ||
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 8 | |||||
| #01 | "Free Falling" | #09 | "Dark Was the Night" | #17 | "One Step Too Far" |
| #02 | "She's Gone" | #10 | "Suddenly" | #18 | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" |
| #03 | "Take the Lead" | #11 | "This Magic Moment" | #19 | "Support System" |
| #04 | "What is It About Men" | #12 | "Hope for the Hopeless" | #20 | "The Girl with No Name" |
| #05 | "Love, Loss and Legacy" | #13 | "If/Then" | #21 | "Moment of Truth" |
| #06 | "Poker Face" | #14 | "All You Need is Love" | #22 | "Let the Bad Times Roll" |
| #07 | "Put Me In, Coach" | #15 | "Have You Seen Me Lately?" | #23 | "Migration" |
| #08 | "Heart-Shaped Box" | #16 | "If Only You Were Lonely" | #24 | "Flight" |
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 9 | |||||
| #01 | "Going, Going, Gone" | #09 | "Run, Baby, Run" | #17 | "Transplant Wasteland" |
| #02 | "Remember the Time" | #10 | "Things We Said Today" | #18 | "Idle Hands" |
| #03 | "Love the One You're With" | #11 | "The End is the Beginning is the End" | #19 | "Can't Fight This Feeling" |
| #04 | "I Saw Her Standing There" | #12 | "Walking on a Dream" | #20 | "She's Killing Me" |
| #05 | "Beautiful Doom" | #13 | "Bad Blood" | #21 | "Sleeping Monster" |
| #06 | "Second Opinion" | #14 | "The Face of Change" | #22 | "Do You Believe in Magic" |
| #07 | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | #15 | "Hard Bargain" | #23 | "Readiness is All" |
| #08 | "Love Turns You Upside Down" | #16 | "This is Why We Fight" | #24 | "Perfect Storm" |