Maeve Bidonde, Arts Editor
Eric Dane, most known for his role on Grey’s Anatomy as the hilarious and charming Mark Sloan also known as “McSteamy”, passed away February 19th about a year after his ALS diagnosis. Dane was 53 years old. Since his passing, his Grey’s Anatomy costars have posted messages of love and well wishes dedicated to Dane, his wife Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters.
Dane’s family released a statement to CBS News announcing his death. “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.”
While battling ALS, Dane advocated passionately for ALS awareness and research wanting to see a difference for others fighting the same disease. His family says Dane “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.”
ALS is also commonly known as Lou Gherig’s disease, named for the late New York Yankees player and it affects the nervous system, the brain, and the spinal cord. Around 1 in 300 Americans are diagnosed with ALS and the life expectancy of someone with ALS is three to five years.
According to NBC News Grey’s Anatomy paid tribute to Dane in the first aired episode after his passing with a minute long montage of Dane’s iconic character Mark Sloan. The montage was set to a cover of “Chasing Cars” by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie. On the show Dane’s character was the best friend of Patrick Dempsey’s character Derek Shepherd aka “McDreamy” fans referred to both characters as the “McBrothers.”
Dempsey spoke about Dane’s passing on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK. He said “I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him, and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak. He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly,” He went on to say that Dane was “a joy to work with” and “the funniest man.”
Chyler Leigh, who portrayed Lexie Grey, released a statement saying “I never thought I would be using the term ‘had or was,’ but here we are. And I hate it,” she went on to say that she would hold Eric Dane in her heart forever. Other Grey’s Anatomy Alumni including Jessica Capshaw (Arizona Robbins), Kate Walsh (Addison Montgomery), and Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres) also released statements about his death and how he impacted their lives. Ramirez reactivated their Instagram in order to post about Dane’s passing.
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