Eric Dane, an actor on the hit shows Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, has died at the age of 53, less than a year after he publicly revealed he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Dane died Thursday afternoon, his representatives announced in a statement. He first revealed in April that he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease.
“He spent his last days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife [actor Rebecca Gayheart] And his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, are the center of his world,” read the statement.
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference to others facing the same battle. He will be greatly missed and will always be fondly remembered. Eric adored his fans and will be forever grateful for the love and support he received. The family requests privacy at this time.”
ALS is the most common form of motor neuron disease, meaning the terms are often used interchangeably. It is a terminal degenerative disorder that causes people to lose the use of their limbs and the ability to speak, swallow and eventually breathe independently.
No treatment; People with motor neurone disease die an average of 27 months after diagnosis, but some patients can live for decades – such as Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at age 21 with a slow progression of the disease and lived to be 76.
Dane played Dr. Mark Sloan or “McSteamy” on Grey’s Anatomy, signing on for just one episode before becoming a series regular for six seasons. He most recently appeared in the HBO drama Euphoria as Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s character.
Dane will appear in the upcoming third season of Euphoria filmed in a wheelchair due to his health.
“I feel fortunate to be able to continue working and look forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week,” he told PEOPLE in April after announcing his diagnosis. “I kindly ask that you grant me and my family privacy at this time.”
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson paid tribute to Dane on Thursday, telling Variety: “I am heartbroken at the loss of our dear friend Eric. It was an honor to work with him. It was a gift to be his friend. Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be blessed.”
Dane was born in 1972 in San Francisco. When he was seven, his father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “I never realized how smart and aware I was at that time until I had my own children… [it] Must have been devastating at seven years old,” he once told an interviewer.
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. Future roles included The Wonder Years, Married…with Children, Charmed, Roseanne and the medical drama Gideon’s Crossing, before he starred in Grey’s Anatomy, appearing in 145 episodes between 2006 and 2021.
Dane later appeared in films such as X-Men: The Last Stand, Marley & Me, Valentine’s Day, Burlesque and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. He starred in and produced five seasons of The Last Ship, a post-apocalyptic drama in which he played the captain of a US Navy warship looking for a cure for a global pandemic. The show went on hiatus in 2017 to give Dane time to deal with her depression.
In January, Dane was due to receive an award from the ALS Network for raising awareness of the disorder, but dropped out at the last minute due to not being “well enough to attend” and instead appeared in a pre-taped message.
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in North America, named after the Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the condition in 1939.
