Eric Dane, a US actor who starred in some of the most successful TV series of the past 20 years, has died aged 53.

The star was best known for his role as Dr Mark Sloan in long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and as the patriarch of the Jacobs family in teen hit Euphoria. 

He also had notable parts in the films Burlesque, Marley and Me, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

A photo of Eric Dane, his wife and two daughters at a Disney Live! music festival.

Eric Dane is survived by his wife Rebecca Gayheart and their two daughters, Billie (left) and Georgia.  (Getty Images: Astrid Stawiarz)

His representatives said Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

ALS is the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND), a degenerative disorder that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles.

“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,” the representatives said in a statement that requested privacy for his family. 

“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.”

From actor to ALS advocateEric Dane as McSteamy

Eric Dane (right), with Patrick Dempsey, is best known for his role on Grey’s Anatomy as Dr Mark Sloane, also known as “McSteamy”. (Getty Images: Eric McCandless)

Dane was born on November 9, 1972 and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was seven. 

After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, landing guest roles on shows such as Saved by the Bell, Married… With Children, Charmed and X-Men: the Last Stand, and one season of the short-lived medical drama Gideon’s Crossing.

His big break arrived in the mid-2000s when he was cast as Dr Mark Sloan — also known as “McSteamy” — on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, a role he played from 2006 until 2012 and reprised in 2021. 

In 2019, he became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, Euphoria, a role he continued until his death.

What is ALS?

The Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star says he will continue to work and is grateful to have his family by his side.

Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a US Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama The Last Ship. In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression.

In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, which gradually destroys the nerve cells and connections needed to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to five years of a diagnosis.

Dane became an advocate for ALS awareness, speaking at a news conference in Washington on health insurance prior authorisation. 

“Some of you may know me from TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, which I play a doctor. But I am here today to speak briefly as a patient battling ALS,” he said in June 2025. 

In September of that year, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of its advocate of the year award, recognising his commitment to raising awareness and support for people living with ALS.

A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be published this year. Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments will be released by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. 

According to Open Field, Dane will look back at key moments in his life, from his first day at work on Grey’s Anatomy to the births of his two daughters and learning that he had ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement around the book’s announcement. 

“If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

‘A very complicated relationship’A man and a woman standing together holding hands.

While Eric Dane (pictured with Janell Shirtcliff) and his wife never got a divorce, they both dated other people and lived separately.  (Getty Images: Robin L Marshall)

Dane is survived by his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. 

Ms Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Ms Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, but later filed to dismiss the petition. 

In a December essay for New York magazine’s The Cut reflecting on Dane’s diagnosis, Ms Gayheart called their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people”.

She said they never got a divorce, but dated other people and lived separately.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she said. 

“Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.

“So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

ABC/AP