Actor Eric Dane honored for bringing visibility and hope to the ALS fight
Dane died Feb. 19 at age 53, spending his final year championing patient needs
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Actor and ALS advocate Eric Dane, right, died Feb. 19 at age 53. He guest starred as an ALS patient on the TV show "Brilliant Minds" alongside actor Zachary Quinto, who portrays Dr. Oliver Wolf. (Photo by Pief Weyman/NBC)
- Actor Eric Dane, 53, who has died from ALS, was a tireless advocate for the neurodegenerative condition.
- Dane used his platform to raise funds for research and bring visibility to ALS.
- His legacy emphasizes the urgent need for ALS research, treatments, and cures.
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) community is mourning the loss of Eric Dane, the “Grey’s Anatomy” star who turned his personal battle with the disease into a crusade for a cure. Dane died Thursday at the age of 53, one year after a diagnosis that saw him trade his “McSteamy” persona for the role of a tireless advocate.
His death, confirmed by his representative, has sparked a wave of tributes from research organizations and fellow patients who credited the actor with bringing visibility to the neurodegenerative condition. Even as his health declined, Dane remained active on the front lines, serving on the board of Target ALS and being named the ALS Network’s 2025 advocate of the year.
“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, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” said a statement from Dane’s representative, as reported in a news story from USA Today.
From the screen to the front lines of advocacy
The actor is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan — or, as he’s better known, McSteamy — on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” After his diagnosis, he guest-starred as an ALS patient on the NBC drama “Brilliant Minds.” He will also be in the upcoming season of HBO’s “Euphoria.”
Dane was diagnosed with ALS last year. Since then, he had been a vocal ALS advocate, helping to raise funds for research.
Advocacy organizations mourned Dane’s passing and celebrated his legacy, while also calling on the ALS community to follow in his footsteps and push for progress.
“Eric was a rare soul — special, charming, generous, and loving. I felt a kinship with him from the beginning,” Dan Doctoroff, founder of Target ALS, said in an Instagram post. “Not only because we both shared an ALS diagnosis, but because we both shared a desire to leave the world better than we found it.”
The ALS Network shared in an Instagram post that Dane’s “strength, honesty, and compassion helped the world better understand what families facing ALS endure every day.”
I Am ALS paid tribute to him in a Facebook post, saying that Dane “used his platform not for attention, but for action. … [He] brought humility, humor, and visibility to ALS and reminded the world that progress is possible when we refuse to remain silent.”
ALS News Today columnist Juliet Taylor, who lost her husband to ALS in 2020, reflected on how, even though she had never met Dane, she felt his loss, as well as his impact on the ALS community.
“Like many others, I was deeply saddened to learn of Eric Dane’s death from ALS. He was clearly a beloved person, a devoted father and husband, and a cherished friend to so many,” Taylor said. “After his diagnosis, he emerged as a true ALS advocate and helped build awareness of this critically underfunded disease. He helped lobby for treatments and cures and lent his powerful voice to ALS causes.
“While we never met, I will miss him, and his passing leaves a great void in the ALS community,” she added. “So many of us are devastated by this news. We keep losing loved ones to this disease, and need research, treatments, and cures more desperately with each passing day.”
Still, Dane’s legacy will live on both through the roles he played and as an ALS advocate.
“Eric played his part in advancing the ALS fight, and I am grateful to have known him. I only wish we had more time,” Doctoroff said. “Rest easy, brother.”
