'Grey's Anatomy' star Eric Dane dead at 53

Eric Dane has died after a long and courageous battle with ALS. He was 53.

Dane's family issued a statement to People magazine on Thursday.

"With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," the statement began.

It continued, "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center 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. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."

ERIC DANE VOWS TO 'FIGHT TO THE LAST BREATH' IN ONGOING ALS BATTLE 

Born and raised in San Francisco, Calif., Dane kick-started his career in the early 1990s with small guest roles in beloved sitcoms such as "Saved By the Bell" and "The Wonder Years." It wasn't until 2000 that he landed his breakthrough role as Jason Dean on "Charmed," which he portrayed during the show's third season. 

Dane's professional life took a dramatic turn, however, when he made his debut as Dr. Mark Sloan ("McSteamy") on "Grey's Anatomy" in 2006.

But despite his success, Dane was dealing with something much bigger: an addiction to drugs and alcohol.

"If you take the whole eight years I was on 'Grey's Anatomy,' I was f---ed up longer than I was sober and that was when things started going sideways for me," he admitted to host Dax Shepard during an appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast in 2024. 

Before his departure from the show in 2012, Dane went to rehab for an addiction to painkillers. 

"I didn't leave ["Grey's Anatomy"] so much as I think I was let go," he told Shepard. "I was struggling. They didn't let me go because of that, although it definitely didn't help." 

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After his run on "Grey's Anatomy," Dane took on the leading role of Captain Tom Chandler on the TNT series "The Last Ship" from its premiere in June 2014 through its final season in 2018.

During his run, Dane took another break from production for personal reasons: he was battling depression. 

"That was a scary thing, when you wake up, and you’re like: ‘I don’t want to get out of bed,’" he said during an appearance on the "Today" show in 2017.  "I was seeing these doctors thinking that there was something physically wrong with me, because I’d never felt like that."

"I mean, I’d dealt with depression throughout my life, but it was always manageable," he said. "I just felt like, you know, everybody kind of feels a little blue. But this just hit me like a truck. I had to take some time off — I went away, I took care of it, and I’m feeling great."

In April 2025, Dane announced his ALS diagnosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

"I have been diagnosed with ALS," he said in a statement to People at the time. "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter. I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of ‘Euphoria’ next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."

During an interview on "Good Morning America" in June 2025, Dane said he was prepared to go to great measures to fight ALS.

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"I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help," the 53-year-old "Grey's Anatomy" alum told Diane Sawyer at the time. "I'll assume the risk."

WATCH: ERIC DANE CELEBRATES WINS FOLLOWING ALS DIAGNOSIS

During the interview, Dane opened up about the debilitating disease and explained how he found hope in the physician who led his care.

"I'm very hopeful. ... I don't think this is the end of my story," he said. "And whether it is or it isn't, I'm going to carry that idea with me.

"That's what I got from [Dr. Merit Cudkowicz] when I met her. ... There was a sense of hope I didn't get from other doctors that I met with," Dane said of his doctor, a neurologist and leading ALS researcher.

In September 2025, Dane spoke with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., about ALS advances. 

"ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with. So often, it takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed, well, then it precludes them from being a part of these clinical trials," he told Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., in a video the lawmaker posted to TikTok. 

The "Euphoria" star was at the Capitol to advocate for Congress reauthorizing the ACT for ALS law, which expands access to treatments and expires next year, according to WJAR-TV. 

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"I have two daughters at home," he added. "I want to see them, you know, graduate college and get married and maybe have grandkids, you know? I want to be there for all that. So, I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one."

Dane married Rebecca Gayheart in 2004. They separated in 2017, but the divorce filing was withdrawn in April 2025. Just weeks later, the actor announced he had been diagnosed with ALS.

Dane is survived by Gayheart and their daughters, Billie and Georgia.