Name: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Eric Dane Dies at 53
Uploaded: 2026-02-20T15:36:41.000Z
Description: He publicly shared his diagnosis and soon became an outspoken advocate for ALS awareness and research, determined “to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” his family said.

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Eric Dane, the actor who brought Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan to life on “Grey’s Anatomy” and later played conflicted patriarch Cal Jacobs on “Euphoria,” has died at 53, nearly a year after announcing he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

Dane died on Thursday, Feb. 19, following “a courageous battle with ALS,” his family said in a statement. “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 family added that he “will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always” and asked for privacy “as they navigate this impossible time.”

Dane revealed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and eventually robs people of the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe, according to the Mayo Clinic. He publicly shared his diagnosis and soon became an outspoken advocate for ALS awareness and research, determined “to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” his family said.

Born Nov. 9, 1972, in San Francisco, Dane got his start on television in the early 1990s with small roles on series including “The Wonder Years,” “Married… with Children,” “Silk Stalkings” and “Roseanne,” according to IMDb. He went on to recur on “Gideon’s Crossing” and “Charmed” before his breakout role as plastic surgeon Mark Sloan on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” a part that was meant to last one episode and stretched to 140, he told the Gulf Times in a 2014 interview.

He later headlined TNT’s post-apocalyptic drama “The Last Ship” and, more recently, won new acclaim as Cal Jacobs on HBO’s “Euphoria,” a role he said in a 2019 interview with Glamour drew on his own struggles with addiction, depression, and living a double life.

His portrayal of Mark Sloan turned him into a pop-culture fixture in the mid-2000s, as the swaggering plastic surgeon became one of the show’s most recognizable characters from 2006 to 2012, and again in a 2021 return. Although the character was written out after a plane crash storyline, his legacy was woven into the series itself when Seattle Grace Hospital was later renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Dane reinvented himself on screen in 2019 with “Euphoria,” pivoting from charming heartthrob to deeply conflicted Cal Jacobs on HBO’s provocative teen drama, a role he continued to play until his death. He also anchored TNT’s “The Last Ship” as Tom Chandler, a Navy destroyer captain navigating a world decimated by a global pandemic, a production that paused in 2017 as Dane confronted depression.​

Beyond his on-screen work, Dane increasingly used his platform to push for ALS awareness. He spoke in Washington at a news conference about health insurance prior authorization, introducing himself by saying, “Some of you may know me from TV shows, such as 'Grey's Anatomy,' which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS.” That same year, the ALS Network honored him with its advocate of the year award for his efforts to elevate the voices and needs of people living with the disease.​

Dane’s path to Hollywood began in Northern California, where he was born and raised. He spoke of losing his father—a Navy veteran and architect—to a gunshot wound when he was 7, an early loss that would later shape how he viewed fatherhood and family. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to chase acting work, picking up guest parts on shows such as “Saved by the Bell” and “X-Men: the Last Stand,” and spending a season on the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

Even as he continued acting while facing a terminal illness, Dane was also looking ahead to telling his story in print. A memoir, “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” is slated for release in late 2026 through Maria Shriver’s imprint The Open Field at Penguin Random House and will trace milestones from his first day on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his daughters and the day he learned he had ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me—the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted—so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart," Dane said in a statement about the book. "If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”​

Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004, and the couple share daughters Billie and Georgia. Though Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, she moved to withdraw the petition in March 2025 and stood by him through his ALS diagnosis as they remained united for their children.

Gayheart described their bond as unconventional but enduring in a December essay reflecting on his illness.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”​

He is survived by Gayheart and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine.

<em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em>

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