Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane, who passed away from ALS aged 53 on Thursday (February 19), is remembered as a passionate advocate for patients with the disease as much as his TV and film roles.
Dane detailed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in April last year, and spoke openly about what it was like to live with the condition.
In his final TV role to air before his death, he played a firefighter with ALS on TV show Brilliant Minds.
Late on Thursday evening, Dane’s representatives confirmed he had sadly died some ten months after he went public with his diagnosis.
“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 [actress Rebecca Gayheart] and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the statement said.
Eric Dane has died aged 53 (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“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.”
What is ALS?
ALS is a degenerative health condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to Mayo Clinic. It causes loss of muscle control, the health site notes.
There is no cure for the devastating disease, while the condition gets progressively worse over time.
What did Eric Dane say about his ALS symptoms?
Eric Dane detailed his ALS diagnosis last year (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Dane said he started experiencing symptoms around a year and a half before going public with his diagnosis, initially passing them off as the result of spending too much time on his phone.
He told Good Morning America last year: “I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand. I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse.”
By summer 2025, his symptoms were much more debilitating.
He said: “My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working
“I feel like maybe a couple more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
Symptoms of ALS
Mayo Clinic notes that symptoms of ALS ‘begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg’, while you may also notice slurred speech and trouble swallowing in its early stages.
As per the health site, symptoms of the disease may include:
- Issues with walking or doing typical day-to-day activities
- Tripping and falling
- Weakness in the legs, feet or ankles
- Weakness in the hand and/or clumsiness
- Speech that is slurred
- Difficulties with swallowing
- Weakness accompanying muscle cramps and twitching in the arms, shoulders and tongue
- Untimely crying, laughing or yawning
- Behavioral changes
Health experts say ALS typically begins in the hands, feet, arms or legs before progressing to other parts of the body.
Over time, muscles will get weaker and nerve cells will be killed off, leading to the more complicated symptoms of chewing, swallowing, speaking and even breathing.
