Eric Dane, Dr. McSteamy of 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Euphoria' star, dies of ALS at 53

Actor Eric Dane, champion known for wooing “Grey’s Anatomy” audiences arsenic integrative surgeon Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, has died pursuing a nationalist conflict with ALS.

A TV prima whose vocation spanned from “Saved by the Bell” to “Euphoria” and beyond, Dane died Thursday, his publicist announced successful a statement. He was 53.

“With dense hearts, we stock that Eric Dane passed connected Thursday day pursuing a courageous conflict with ALS. He spent his last days surrounded by beloved friends, his devoted wife, and his 2 beauteous daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the halfway of his world,” the connection reads. “Throughout his travel with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocator for consciousness and research, determined to marque a quality for others facing the aforesaid fight. He volition beryllium profoundly missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is everlastingly grateful for the outpouring of emotion and enactment he’s received. The household has asked for privateness arsenic they navigate this intolerable time.”

Dane publicized his ALS diagnosis successful April 2025. A erstwhile competitory swimmer and h2o polo player, helium said ALS — besides known arsenic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis oregon Lou Gehrig’s illness — initially caused the close broadside of his assemblage to halt working. Prior to his death, the histrion channeled his idiosyncratic experiences with the information to represent a firefighter surviving with ALS connected TV and advocated for authorities related to the condition.

In Shonda Rhimes’ “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dane’s Sloan was a invited summation to Seattle Grace Hospital’s unit of heartthrobs who couldn’t look to support their gloved hands disconnected each different amid shifts of chaotic and melodramatic cases. He archetypal appeared successful Season 2 of “Grey’s Anatomy” successful 2006. Sloan, wrong minutes of his arrival, takes a punch to the look from Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. Derek Shepherd and introduces himself to Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey arsenic 1 of the chap “dirty mistresses” who broke up Shepherd’s matrimony to ex-wife Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh).

Dane had initially agreed to look successful lone 1 occurrence of the long-running ABC drama, but remained a fixture — and oculus candy for fans — for much than 130 episodes until 2012. Nicknamed “McSteamy” for his looks, Sloan pursued relationships with Drs. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) implicit the people of Dane’s tenure. His quality was killed disconnected aboriginal successful Season 9 aft a devastating Season 8 level clang that besides claimed the beingness of Leigh’s Lexie.

In 2021, Dane returned to “Grey’s Anatomy” for a cameo successful Meredith’s COVID-19-induced dreams.

Prior to breaking retired with “Grey’s,” Dane played insignificant roles successful bid including “Saved by the Bell, “Roseanne,” “Gideon’s Crossing” and “Charmed.” Dane followed up his “Grey’s Anatomy” tenure with appearances connected the ABC spinoff “Private Practice,” a starring relation successful TNT’s “The Last Ship” and a stint arsenic a secretive existent property developer and dada successful HBO’s teen play “Euphoria.”

He besides appeared successful respective movies pursuing “Grey’s Anatomy,” including “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Marley & Me,” “Burlesque” and Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day,” which reunited him with co-star Dempsey.

Dane did not program to beryllium an histrion until helium unexpectedly landed a relation successful his precocious school’s accumulation of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” but helium “fell successful emotion with it,” helium told the Gulf Times successful 2014.

“I was similar this is the top feeling ever,” helium added.

Eric William Dane was calved Nov. 9, 1972, successful San Francisco. His father, a Navy man-turned-architect, died of a gunshot coiled erstwhile the histrion was 7, leaving his parent to rise her 2 children with assistance from her parents.

Dane attended Sequoia High School and San Mateo High School but dropped retired anterior to graduation to prosecute acting successful Los Angeles.

He partied often successful his 20s and archetypal entered rehab astatine property 26. Amid his “Grey’s Anatomy” fame, Dane struggled with summation to painkillers and medicine medicine. He relapsed successful 2007 during the Writer’s Guild of America strike, helium recalled successful 2024.

Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart bring their daughters to the March 2015 satellite premiere of “Cinderella” successful L.A.

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

“If you instrumentality the full 8 years I was connected ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ I was f— up longer than I was sober and that was erstwhile things started going sideways for me,” helium said astatine the time. Notably, helium entered rehab again successful 2011 to code issues with medicine drugs helium had been prescribed for a sports injury.

Dane besides spoke openly astir his struggles with depression, which reached a caput successful 2017 amid accumulation connected his bid “The Last Ship.” During a 2017 “Today” appearance, Dane explained that helium was taking medicine to negociate the disorder, which helium said deed him “like a truck.”

“I had to instrumentality immoderate clip off,” helium said astatine the time. “I went away, I took attraction of it, and I’m feeling great.”

Dane joined “Loving” histrion and exemplary Rebecca Gayheart successful 2004 successful Las Vegas the aforesaid time helium projected to her. Infamously, their narration was taxable to scrutiny erstwhile successful 2009 leaked video showed the spouses successful the nude and intoxicated lounging successful a bathtub with histrion Kari Ann Peniche. Marty Singer, lawyer for the spouses astatine the time, dismissed the controversy.

However, the mates separated successful 2017 and Gayheart filed to divorcement Dane successful 2018, but the divided was ne'er finalized. Then successful March 2025, close earlier helium went nationalist with his ALS, she filed a petition to disregard the archetypal petition.

In Dane’s relation aft revealing his diagnosis, helium appeared successful an occurrence of the NBC aesculapian play “Brilliant Minds” arsenic a heroic firefighter struggling to archer his household helium has ALS. The occurrence aired successful precocious November; Gayheart revealed successful a precocious December New York mag effort that the histrion was receiving 24/7 nursing attraction and she was covering astir of the caregivers’ missed shifts.

“We haven’t lived successful the aforesaid location for 8 years; he’s dated different people, I’ve dated someone,” Gayheart wrote successful the essay, which discussed Dane’s diagnosis and however it had affected the family. “It’s a precise analyzable relationship, 1 that’s confusing for people. Our emotion whitethorn not beryllium romantic, but it’s a familial love. Eric knows that I americium ever going to privation the champion for him. That I’m going to bash my champion to bash close by him. And I cognize helium would bash the aforesaid for me.

“So immoderate I tin bash oregon nevertheless I tin amusement up to marque this travel amended for him oregon easier for him, I privation to bash that,” she continued. “And I privation to exemplary that for my girls: That’s what you do. That’s the close happening to do.”

Dane is survived by daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, whom helium shares with Gayheart.