On Thursday night's heartbreaking episode of Nashville, CMT's drama series about a group of country singers, the curtain came down for the final time on Connie Britton's Rayna Jaymes.

In what some are calling one of the most "devastating deaths in TV history," Britton's character, the show's lead alongside Hayden Panettiere, was killed off during an emotionally-charged hospital scene at the end of Episode 9, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (February 23).

"It’s devastating," the actress told Entertainment Weekly of her exit scene, which had been kept under wraps for months after Britton decided to move on from the show last summer.

"It was very surreal and not easy," she added. "There was definitely a big part of me that was not ready to go but there we were. I wanted to make those moments as strong as possible for Rayna."

Coincidentally, the scene was "not easy" for viewers, either, who flooded social media with messages of shock, sadness, frustration and mourning over the loss of Rayna.

See their posts, plus a personal goodbye message from Britton shared on Instagram, below:

Pop Star Deaths in Film and TV:

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