The day Australia stopped for the death of a fictional TV character.

August 7, 2013. It's a day that will go down in Australian history.

In households across the nation, more than one million people let out a collective "nooooooooo" as they learned about the death of a beloved man. Thousands sobbed into their pillows in disbelief. Some called in sick to work the next day, overcome by their grief. 

One NSW police department even put out a Facebook post telling bereft locals that investigating the sudden death would be beyond their jurisdiction.

But the mass hysteria and grief were made even more significant because... they were all for a man who didn't actually exist.

Yes, the incredibly dreamy doctor in question was none other than fictional character Patrick Reid on Channel 10's hit TV series, Offspring. 

Now it's been exactly 11 years since that epic television moment and I, quite frankly, am still not over it.

Much like Nina Proudman, I was in shock. Image: Channel 10.

In case you're too young to remember—or somehow missed this life-changing moment in history—let me paint the scene for you.

Thanks to excessive Channel 10 promos foreshadowing a death in the lead-up to the penultimate episode of the season, fans were well aware someone would be kicking the can. But NO ONE expected it to be Patrick (played by Matthew Le Nevez). 

The show’s main protagonist, Dr Nina Proudman (played by Asher Keddie), had finally found love with the handsome and brooding anaesthetist and they were expecting their first baby together. 

Then on the day of Nina's baby shower, Patrick was just being his usual handsome self (seriously, have you seen how good-looking this man is?) when he stepped out onto a Melbourne street and was side-swiped by an oncoming car. 

But as Nina drove him home afterwards, his speech became slurred before he fell unconscious. 

Later in hospital, a doctor broke the news to Nina and Patrick’s sister Kate, that he had suffered a bleed on the brain.

The reaction from viewers was ridiculous, dramatic and completely bloody justified if you ask me. 

"Who's coming with me to the funeral next week then?" one person tweeted. 

"Is there any Offspring fan in Australia who hasn't bawled for the last 10 minutes like me? Gut-wrenching," added another viewer.

#Offspring even began trending worldwide — much to the confusion of American rock band The Offspring, who had no idea why thousands of people were suddenly abusing them for killing a man.

I distinctly remember sitting there, sobbing as if I had lost the father of my own unborn baby. (I had no unborn baby.)

I was also stressed for Nina. How would she raise her child alone?

But mostly, I think I was just sad I wasn't going to see Matthew Le Nevez on my screen every week.

The dreamiest doctor to ever grace our screens. Source: Channel 10. 

Now, I realise that if you weren't one of the people who went through this very serious trauma, I sound like a total crackpot. But you have to remember this was a time when binge-watching an entire series all in one weekend wasn’t a thing. 

Appointment viewing week-by-week meant that this was one of the last times everyone experienced a big television moment together.

The closest thing we've had in recent years was Logan Roy's death on Succession (yes, yes it's a spoiler but you've had enough time to watch it by now), and because everyone experienced it at different times, it didn't have even a fraction of the impact.

To mark the anniversary last year, Offspring’s show creator, Michael Lucas, reflected on the unprecedented reaction to Patrick's death.

"These days, with everything so fragmented and Twitter crumbling, it's surreal to think what an epic reaction it received. Blanket news coverage, top trend in the world… and Debra Oswald, Jono Gavin and myself became like wanted people," Lucas wrote on Instagram.

"I still remember how queasy it felt to see my name trending and to have to hand my phone to Em [Rusciano] cos so many journos and radio producers were ringing wanting a story!

"I had a viewing party that night with a small group… it started with delicious cheese, but before long we were all gripping our phones as we realised what we'd unleashed."

WATCH: A montage of Nina and Patrick's best moments on Offspring to make you sob. Post continues below the video.  

Fans responded to Lucas to share how they'd reacted at the time.

"My husband got home from basketball and I was sobbing... he panicked, asking me what was wrong. I told him Patrick died. Cue him utterly panicking before I realised I had a brother named Patrick, and he was perfectly fine," one woman wrote.

"I remember not being able to sleep because I'd been sobbing so hard. I also remember jokingly (but kind of seriously) writing on Facebook that I needed a bereavement leave from work the next day," added another.

At the time, Mamamia interviewed Patrick actor Matthew Le Nevez from beyond the fictional grave about the moment. 

"I didn't expect it to be this big but in saying that, I’m also kind of honoured that people are grieving for Patrick. I thought it was such a beautiful episode," Le Nevez told Mamamia.

"I was working up until the weekend on another film on the Gold Coast and I just got back to Melbourne in the middle of this 'Patrick Storm.' It's been a little bit overwhelming—but in saying that it's also been really nice to see that Patrick and the show have touched a chord with people."

He even joked he'd been walking around "with a box of Kleenex just in case" for bereft fans who approached him. 

And as for whether Lucas regrets the decision to kill off the much-loved character? He is still very steadfast about his decision. 

"No apologies…I still unabashedly love that story and where it took the show. Stand by it 100 percent."

Feature image: Channel 10.

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