Patrick Dempsey has paid devastating tribute to his good friend and Grey’s Anatomy co-star Eric Dane, who died aged 53 after a public battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Dane’s representatives announced his death on Friday, saying he spent his final days “surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world”.
The US actor died less than a year after publicly revealing he had been diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease, ALS.
Dempsey, 60, described Dane’s final days, revealing he was “bedridden”, struggling to speak and that his “quality of life” had “deteriorated rapidly”.
“I just woke up this morning and it was very sad to read the news. It’s hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children,” he said on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK on Friday.
“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.”
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive condition that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, gradually robbing patients of the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe independently.
Dane’s wife Rebecca Gayheart revealed in December that he was receiving “24-hour care” every day from nurses as he dealt with the disease.
Dempsey said: “He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.
“He was the funniest man - he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it. He had a great sense of humour. He was easy to work with, we got along instantly.
“First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant…”
Reflecting on their time on Grey’s Anatomy, he said: “We hit it off because it was never really any competition.
“There was just this wonderful mutual respect, he's wickedly intelligent and I'm always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people's lives and the real loss is for us who don't have them anymore.
“He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it's our last day… It's something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have.”
A slew of other stars have paid tribute to Dane, including Nina Dobrev, who appeared alongside Dane in 2022’s Redeeming Love.
She remembered the actor as “warm, generous, prepared, and so passionate about what he did”.
“He led with kindness and made everyone on our set feel seen. ALS is a cruel and unforgiving disease,” she wrote on her Instagram stories.
Ashton Kutcher wrote on X: “The Franklin strip fanatics fantasy football league will miss Mr. Eric Dane.
“We know you’ll be watching from the booth. Miss you, buddy. Let’s keep fighting the fight to solve ALS.”
Alyssa Milano, who acted alongside Dane during his recurring role in the fantasy TV series Charmed, told her Instagram followers she could not stop thinking about the “spark in Eric’s eye right before he’d say something that would either make you spit out your drink or rethink your entire perspective”.
She wrote: “He had a razor-sharp sense of humor. He loved the absurdity of things. He loved catching people off guard.
“And when it came to his daughters and Rebecca, everything in him softened. He carried them with him even in rooms where they weren’t present. You could see it in the way his voice changed when he said their names. A breathtakingly beautiful family.”
Dane portrayed Jason Dean – a love interest of Milano’s character – for nine episodes in the show’s fifth and sixth seasons.
Dane’s big break came in 2006, playing the suave Dr Mark “McSteamy” Sloan in the popular US medical drama.
He later reached a new generation of viewers when he was cast as Cal Jacobs, an antagonist on the HBO hit Euphoria.
Kevin McKidd, who portrays trauma surgeon Owen Hunt on Grey’s Anatomy, posted a picture of Dane to his Instagram stories, writing “Rest in Peace, Buddy”.
Kim Raver, who stars as McKidd’s on-screen wife Teddy Altman, called Dane a “light”.
“You’d see it effortlessly shine from him on the set of Grey’s as well as when he was with Rebecca and the girls,” she captioned an Instagram photo of the pair.
“During filming he’d get this twinkle in his eye and with a mischievous look, he would deliver with perfect comedic timing, a line of dialogue that would floor you! You will be missed.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Sarah Drew, who played April Kepner, and James Pickens Jr, who portrays Richard Webber.
The Franklin strip fanatics fantasy football league will miss Mr. Eric Dane. We know you’ll be watching from the booth. Miss you, buddy. Let’s keep fighting the fight to solve ALS. pic.twitter.com/00TtwmQHAK
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) February 20, 2026
In a statement to Variety, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson said: “I’m heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend Eric. Working with him was an honor. Being his friend was a gift.
“Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing.”
Dane’s other screen credits include film roles in Burlesque, Marley and Me and Valentine’s Day. Between 2014 and 2018, he played Tom Chandler in the post-apocalyptic action series The Last Ship.
He married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004. The couple had two daughters and later separated, but remained close until his death.
The full statement after his death read: “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.
“He 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.”
