• Dane died Thursday surrounded by family, less than a year after publicly revealing his ALS diagnosis
• His Netflix special “Famous Last Words” was released Friday with a final message to his daughters
• ALS advocacy groups say his visibility brought unprecedented attention but research funding gaps persist

LOS ANGELES, CA (TDR) — Eric Dane, the actor who became a household name as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy and later earned career-best reviews on HBO’s Euphoria, died Thursday at 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was surrounded by his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.

What distinguished Dane’s final chapter was not how he died but what he did with the time he had left. In the 10 months between his public diagnosis in April 2025 and his death, Dane transformed from a working actor into one of the most visible ALS advocates in a decade — joining the Target ALS Foundation, earning a spot on the TIME100 Health list and recording a posthumous Netflix interview intended to outlive him.

“I think it’s imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can because I don’t feel like my life is about me anymore.”

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A Career Defined By Reinvention

Born Nov. 9, 1972, in San Francisco, Dane lost his father — a Navy veteran — to a gunshot wound when he was 7. After falling in love with acting through a high school production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” he moved to Los Angeles and spent years grinding through guest spots on “Saved by the Bell,” “Married … With Children” and “Charmed” before landing the role that would define an era of primetime television.

Introduced on Grey’s Anatomy in 2006 as a recurring guest character, Dane’s Dr. Mark Sloan became so popular that producers promoted him to series regular. The role made him famous. It did not, by his own admission, make him comfortable.

“I don’t know that I necessarily felt comfortable being McSteamy, so much so that I think that may be the third time I’ve actually said that name.”

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His later work proved the range. As Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, Dane delivered a performance built on repression and self-destruction that critics called a revelation. Season 3 — featuring what will now stand as his final performances — premieres April 12.

The Advocacy That Defined His Final Year

Dane’s ALS symptoms began with weakness in his right hand before his diagnosis. By June 2025, during his first television interview since going public, he told Good Morning America his right arm had “completely stopped working.” He continued filming Euphoria.

Rather than retreat, Dane leaned into public life with a deliberateness his co-stars described as characteristic. He appeared at ALS fundraising events, spoke at medical conferences and used every interview to redirect attention from his celebrity to the disease.

“I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day. I don’t think anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my bedroom, crawled under the sheets, and spent the next two weeks crying. And I was a little bit pleasantly surprised when I realized that I wasn’t built like that.”

The ALS Association said in a statement that Dane “didn’t just fight for himself — he fought for everyone living with ALS and their loved ones. He advocated for ALS research funding, raised awareness, and never stopped.”

The nonprofit I Am ALS, which worked directly with Dane, added that he “brought humility, humor, and visibility to ALS and reminded the world that progress is possible when we refuse to remain silent.”

Famous Last Words

In November 2025, Dane sat down with producer Brad Falchuk for a confidential Netflix taping — an hour-long conversation he understood would only air after his death. The special, “Famous Last Words: Eric Dane,” was released Friday.

At the end of the interview, Falchuk left the room. Dane looked into the camera and spoke directly to Billie and Georgia.

“I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall we had a blast, didn’t we? I remember all the times we spent at the beach, the two of you, me and Mom — in Malibu, Santa Monica, Hawaii, Mexico. I see you now, playing in the ocean for hours, my water babies. Those days — pun intended — were heaven.”

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