Eric Dane, the good-looking and hunky actor who steamed up primetime TV on “Grey’s Anatomy” at the peak of the present’s recognition, has died, in keeping with his publicist. He was 53.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the assertion learn.
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
Dane announced he was living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2025 and put efforts into advocating for individuals who have the situation following his prognosis.
The actor loved a sturdy TV and movie profession starting within the early Nineties. He appeared in bit elements in well-liked sequence together with “The Wonder Years” and “Roseanne” earlier than a multi-episode arc within the early aughts on “Gideon’s Crossing.”
Meatier roles adopted, together with that of Jason Dean on “Charmed” in 2003, earlier than he took on the function of smoldering Dr. Mark Sloan on Shondaland megahit “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC, starting in 2006.
Earning the moniker “McSteamy,” Dane grew to become a fixture of the medical melodrama from seasons 3 by way of 9, reprising the function yet one more time in 2021 throughout the long-running present’s seventeenth season.
During his tenure on “Grey’s,” Dane additionally appeared in a number of well-liked movies, together with “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Marley & Me” and “Burlesque.”
In 2019, he took on the function of Cal Jacobs, the strict and standoffish father to Jacob Elordi’s neo-high college jock Nate on “Euphoria.” Dane reprised the function within the acclaimed sequence’ second season, and is listed as set to look within the present’s long-awaited third and final season this spring.
Dane remained lively till fairly lately, appearing last fall in an episode of “Brilliant Minds,” the place he performed a firefighter who suffered from ALS.
Showrunner Michael Grassi told Deadline at the time that Dane’s workforce reached out to say the actor was a fan of the present and wish to seem. Grassi, in flip a fan of Dane’s, mentioned he was “so excited by the opportunity to tell a story with him.”
Dane was open about residing with ALS since he first introduced his prognosis final April, and labored arduous to advocate for additional analysis into and help with neurodegenerative ailments.
In a press release at the time, Dane mentioned that he felt “grateful” to have the help of his household by his aspect as they helped him navigate this “next chapter,” and that he was lucky to have the ability to proceed working as he was on the point of return to the “Euphoria” set.
In June, throughout his first tv interview since revealing his prognosis, Dane opened up about a number of the signs that led to the invention of his prognosis, telling ABC’s “Good Morning America” that it began with “some weakness in my right hand.”
ALS progressively impacts the nerve cells within the mind and spinal twine that make the muscle groups of each the higher and decrease physique work, in keeping with the ALS Association, a non-profit group that works to analysis the illness and provide sources to folks residing with it.
There is at the moment no recognized remedy.
“At the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,” he advised ABC in June. (*53*)
Dane went on to advocate for laws addressing analysis on neurodegenerative ailments.
In October, he traveled to Washington, DC with the nonprofit I AM ALS to advocate for extra analysis into ALS, because the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, which was handed in 2021, had supplied for 5 years of analysis into the illness, amongst different provisions, and was near working out.
While in DC, Dane spoke about his hope for the long run.
“I have two daughters at home. I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and maybe have grandkids,” Dane mentioned. “I want to be there for all that. So I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one.”
Dane was father to 2 teen daughters with actress Rebecca Gayheart.
This story has been up to date with extra data.
NCS’s Lisa Respers France contributed to this report.