Eric Dane still has some posthumous performances, but the role he played in his final year will be remembered as his most influential.
after Gray’s Anatomy and trance The actor publicly announced his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in April 2025, and has not backed down from the public eye as he battles the devastating disease. Instead, he used the platform he created thanks to his Hollywood career to promote the visibility of ALS.
Dane has not hesitated to take on an advocacy role, partnering with organizations like Target ALS and I AM ALS to bring more awareness and research to this rare degenerative disease.
For the former nonprofit, he joined its board of directors and became the face of Target ALS’s “Ending ALS Starts with You” campaign, helping raise more than $500,000 in 2025 to accelerate the search for cures. As for I AM ALS, he served as an ambassador for the nonprofit and helped launch the “Push for Progress” campaign in September, which aims to secure $1 billion in federal funding for ALS over the next three years.
Dane was honored as Advocate of the Year at the ALS Network’s Champions of Treatment and Care Gala last month.
In October 2025, Dane also traveled to Washington, D.C., with I AM ALS leadership to lobby Congress to increase federal funding for ALS research and push for reauthorization of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, which expires in 2026. He met with lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, to discuss the urgent need for funding.
In addition to his work with non-profit organizations, Dane combined his advocacy with his acting talents, appearing in a second season episode of the NBC medical drama. Brilliant minds. In the episode, which aired in November, he played Matthew, a firefighter who struggles to tell his family about his ALS diagnosis and later seeks to accept help from them as the diagnosis progresses.
“We really wanted to honor him and honor him and be honest about it. [We] “I didn’t want to cause excitement in any way.” Brilliant minds Creator Michael Gracie previously said Hollywood Reporter Because of the importance of the episode.
Gracie also co-wrote the episode with Dr. Daniela Lamas, and also relied on two ALS doctors and two members of the writing staff who had family members living with ALS when developing the story. “We really wanted to get the language right, especially when talking about something like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, where yes, there is no cure currently, but people are currently working hard to find a cure,” the presenter added.
Dane died on February 19, after a years-long battle with this rare degenerative disease. The actor shared that he first experienced symptoms a year and a half before publicly revealing his diagnosis.
After his death, I AM ALS shared in a statement, “Eric used his platform not for attention, but for action. From the moment he joined I AM ALS, he showed up with courage and faith, asking how he could use his superpowers to help the movement grow. It has been an honor to exchange ideas with him, walk alongside him in the halls of Congress on behalf of our community, amplify the urgent need for ACT for ALS and fund research, move toward a cure, and, ultimately, a cure. He understood that in ALS Myopia is not just a diagnosis, it is a call to action for families to get answers and change.
“Eric brought humility, humor, and clarity to ALS and reminded the world that progress is possible when we refuse to remain silent. Eric was more than just a supporter of our mission — he was part of our family. His impact will live on in the research that is funded, the policies that are developed, and the community he helped grow through his honesty, courage, and belief in a better future for anyone with this diagnosis.” “We honor Eric by continuing the work he believed deeply in: mobilizing communities, leading critical research, securing essential funding, and fighting relentlessly for real solutions. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and our entire community. The I AM ALS program will carry his legacy forward — until ALS is gone.”
Target ALS also wrote in a statement, “Although we have only known Eric, or ‘E’, as many called him, over the past year, his impact on our community has been immediate and profound. From the moment we met him, we experienced the generosity of his heart. He did not hesitate to ask how he could help, how he could fight, and how he could be part of the solution. Whenever we asked for his support, his response was always the same: ‘I will do everything I can to help.’
“We also recognize that families around the world experience this heartbreak every day. Losing someone to ALS is devastating and unacceptable,” the organization added. “Partnering with Eric has been a way to fight back, accelerating the research and development of effective treatments for this disease. At Target ALS, we will continue this work in honor of Eric, and in honor of the many who came before him. We will remain steadfast in our mission so that no family has to endure this loss in the future.”
Dane’s final on-screen performances will be shown trance Season three and Family secrets.
