In October 2025, Eric Dane found himself back on the set of a medical drama. For six seasons on Grey’s Anatomy, the San Francisco-born star had made hearts race as a doctor dubbed “McSteamy”. This time, in an emotionally-charged episode of Brilliant Minds, he was playing a patient.
Six months earlier, Dane, who has died Thursday at the age of 53, announced to the world that he had been diagnosed with ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neurone disease, is an incurable condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It causes increasing muscle paralysis over time, and life expectancy varies widely. On average, those found to have the condition live for between two and five years. Some, such as the astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, have lived much longer.
