Who is Stephanie Leifer? Grey’s Anatomy airs title card tribute

At the conclusion of tonight’s Grey’s Anatomy episode, there was a title card tribute to Stephanie Leifer. Do you want to know more about her?

We know that these cards are often meant to honor someone close to the cast and crew and in this case, we are looking at someone who was close to the entire ABC family. Stephanie was a prominent executive within the ABC and ABC Signature Family for many years, and she helped to shepherd along a number of shows during her tenure — with the medical drama being important among them. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leifer passed away this past June at the age of 56. Some of the other shows she was involved with during her tenure included such landmark hits as Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Castle.

In a statement, Disney Entertainment Television said the following about her passing a little earlier this year.

“Stephanie was a beloved member of the Disney Entertainment Television family for nearly three decades, and our hearts are broken by the devastating news of her passing. She was a highly admired executive, whose creative impact was only matched by the relationships she nurtured both within the company and across the industry. Our sincerest condolences go out to her family, especially her husband and our colleague, Jonathan, and their two beautiful children, Amelia and Noah.”

Tonight’s Grey’s Anatomy is not the only show on the ABC schedule to honor Leifer, as The Bachelorette did this earlier in the year. This is another bit of evidence as to how important she was to this network for so many years.

For those who are unaware, these tribute cards air in perpetuity after the episodes are broadcast, which allows viewers all over the globe a further opportunity to learn about the party being honored. We like to think that they serve as a great comfort for family members and loved ones to know how much someone was cared for, both on the job as well as off.

Our thoughts and condolences continue to go out to Leifer’s loved ones during this difficult time.