{"id":186055,"date":"2026-02-20T12:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/186055\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T12:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:58:10","slug":"eric-dane-dies-celebs-express-grief-pride-in-his-heroic-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/186055\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Dane dies: Celebs express grief, pride in his ‘heroic’ battle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

News of Eric Dane\u2019s death<\/a> Thursday was met with an outpouring of grief by celebrities, who expressed their admiration for the TV star\u2019s mischievous on-screen charisma and his advocacy efforts<\/a> during his battle against ALS. <\/p>\n

Dane is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, or \u201cMcSteamy,\u201d on \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d<\/a> and recently portrayed the dark and secretive father Cal Jacobs in HBO\u2019s \u201cEuphoria.\u201d He died at age 53, less than a year after publicly announcing his diagnosis<\/a> with the neurodegenerative disease.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Milano, who was Dane\u2019s romantic co-star on \u201cCharmed,\u201d shared a heartfelt message on Instagram<\/a> praising his cheeky, yet tender spirit and deep love for his daughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stop seeing that spark in Eric\u2019s eye right before he\u2019d say something that would either make you spit out your drink or rethink your entire perspective,\u201d said Milano. \u201cHe had a razor-sharp sense of humor. He loved the absurdity of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

HBO Max shared a statement on Instagram<\/a>, lauding Dane\u2019s talent and saying the network was \u201cfortunate to have worked with him on three seasons of Euphoria.\u201d The show\u2019s creator, Sam Levinson, shared a statement with Variety<\/a> saying he\u2019s heartbroken by the loss of a dear friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with him was an honor,\u201d Levinson said. \u201cBeing his friend was a gift. Eric\u2019s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d showrunner Krista Vernoff shared an Instagram post<\/a> fondly reminiscing about when Dane returned to the set in 2021 to film a dream sequence featuring his character, who died in Season 9. Although it was shot during the pandemic, he \u201cbroke the rules\u201d and gave her a huge hug.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I will remember most about Eric Dane are his hugs,\u201d Vernoff wrote. \u201cThe best hugs. Oh my friend. I wish you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dane was preparing to publish his memoir, \u201cBook of Days: A Memoir in Moments,\u201d later this year with Maria Shriver\u2019s publishing imprint, the Open Field.<\/p>\n

Shriver said Dane was heroic in the way he handled his disease and used his platform to raise awareness about ALS.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me he wanted his family to know how much he loved them, and he wanted to leave them a story they could be proud of,\u201d she said in a statement on X<\/a>. \u201cMy love goes out to his family, and to all those battling this cruel disease, as well as all those caring for someone battling it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2025, Dane drew on his personal experiences with the condition to portray a firefighter living with ALS on \u201cBrilliant Minds\u201d and advocated for legislation to provide funding for ALS research<\/a> and give patients early access to treatments.<\/p>\n

He worked closely with the nonprofit organization I Am ALS to raise money to research new treatments for the disease, which currently has no cure.<\/p>\n

\u201cEric brought humility, humor, and visibility to ALS and reminded the world that progress is possible when we refuse to remain silent,\u201d the organization said in a statement. \u201cEric was more than a supporter of our mission \u2014 he was part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, is a progressive disease that damages nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles, typically causing death two to five years after diagnosis. <\/p>\n

Nina Dobrev, Dane\u2019s co-star in the western romance movie \u201cRedeeming Love,\u201d wrote on her Instagram story that she was heartbroken by his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was warm, generous, prepared, and so passionate about what he did,\u201d she said. \u201cHe led with kindness and made everyone on our set feel seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report<\/p>\n