Eric Dane, the actor who rose to prominence playing Dr Mark Sloan in the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, has died at the age of 53 following a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
His death was confirmed by his publicist, Melissa Bank.
“He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world,” Bank said in a statement.
Who was Eric Dane?
Eric William Dane was born on November 8, 1972, in San Francisco, to William Dane, an architect and interior designer, and Leah (Cohn) Dane, a homemaker. He was the older of two brothers.
As a secondary school student, Dane excelled as an athlete before developing an interest in acting after performing in a production of Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons. He moved to Los Angeles in 1993 and made his television debut that same year on The Wonder Years, later landing roles in Saved by the Bell and Married with Children.
His early career included a recurring role as a doctor in the ABC medical drama Gideon’s Crossing, and a role as a San Francisco newspaper owner and love interest for Alyssa Milano’s character in Charmed, the CW series about three sister witches.
Dane’s career extended to cinema. He played a mutant capable of replicating himself in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, and co-starred as Sebastian Tunney in Marley & Me (2008), a film about married journalists and their Labrador.
His role as Dr Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy, which began in 2006, brought him recognition on a scale he had not previously experienced.
His character, known as ‘McSteamy’ among the nurses, residents and physicians at the show’s fictional Seattle hospital, appeared across 139 episodes of one of ABC’s programmes since its 2005 premiere. He became associated in particular with what became known as the “towel scene,” in which he appeared shirtless after a shower.
“In the moment, it was just another scene to me,” he said in a 2025 interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. “I just remember walking out of the bathroom with a very nice gentleman kind of blowing smoke towards me.”
Beyond Grey’s Anatomy, Dane starred as a Navy commander in the dystopian suspense series The Last Ship for five seasons, and portrayed the father of Nate Jacobs – played by Jacob Elordi – in the HBO drama Euphoria.
Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis in People magazine in April 2025, just ten months before his death. He subsequently spoke in interviews and on social media about the progression of the condition, which breaks down a patient’s ability to control muscles, speak and eventually breathe without assistance.
Patients with ALS typically live for two to five years after diagnosis, though clinical trials have provided some hope of extending lives by several months.
As part of a patient advocacy campaign in September 2025, Dane spoke publicly about his condition. “I am an actor. I am a father and now a person living with ALS,” he said, calling for funds and research to push “toward ending this disease.”
Dane continued to work following his diagnosis. In November 2025, he portrayed a firefighter grappling with an ALS diagnosis in an episode of NBC’s Brilliant Minds, a medical drama.
Maria Shriver’s publishing imprint at Penguin Random House, The Open Field, is scheduled to publish his memoir, Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, in 2026.
In 2004, Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart, who survives him, along with their two daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia.
