Eric Dane, star of the hit TV shows Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, has died aged 53, less than a year after publicly revealing he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Dane died Thursday afternoon, his representatives announced in a statement. He first revealed in April that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a type of motor neurone disease, writes The Guardian.
“He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife (actress Rebecca Gayheart) and his two wonderful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his universe”the release states.
ALS is the most common form of motor neuron disease, which is why the terms are often used interchangeably. It is a terminal degenerative condition that causes people to gradually lose the ability to use their limbs, speak, swallow and eventually breathe independently.
There is no treatment; those with motor neurone disease die, on average, 27 months after diagnosis, but some patients can live for decades – as was the case with Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed with a slowly progressive form of the disease at 21 and lived to be 76.
Dane played Dr. Mark Sloan, or “McSteamy”on Grey’s Anatomy, initially for a single episode before becoming a regular character for six seasons. More recently, he appeared in the HBO drama Euphoria, playing Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s character.
Dane was set to appear in season three of Euphoria, which he filmed in a wheelchair due to his health.
“I feel lucky to be able to continue working and look forward to being back on the set of Euphoria next week”he told People in April after announcing his diagnosis. “Please respect my family’s privacy during this time.”
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson paid tribute to Dane on Thursday, telling Variety: “I am devastated by the loss of our dear friend Eric. Working with him was an honor. Being his friend was a gift. Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be a blessing.”
Dane was born in San Francisco in 1972. At the age of seven, his father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “I didn’t realize how aware and vigilant I was at the time until I had my own children … (it was) definitely devastating at just seven years old”he told in an interview.
He dropped out of high school a month before graduation to take acting classes in Los Angeles and made his screen debut in a 1991 episode of Saved by the Bell. Subsequent roles included appearances on The Wonder Years, Married… With Children, Charmed, Roseanne and the medical drama Gideon’s Crossing, before being cast on Grey’s Anatomy, in which he appeared in 145 episodes between 2006 and 2021.
Dane later starred in films such as X-Men: The Last Stand, Marley & Me, Valentine’s Day, Burlesque and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. He also starred and produced five seasons of The Last Ship, a post-apocalyptic drama in which he played the captain of an American warship searching for a cure for a global pandemic. The series went on hiatus in 2017 so that Dane could manage her depression.
In January, Dane was due to receive an award from the ALS Network for his involvement in raising awareness of the disease, but pulled out at the last minute, citing the fact that he was not “well enough to attend”, and sent a pre-recorded message instead.
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in North America, after the Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the condition in 1939.
