Actor Eric Dane has passed away at the age of 53. The beloved star, best known for his role on “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Mark Sloan, or McSteamy, had publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ten months ago.

On Thursday, February 19, 2026, the actor’s family confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that the actor had passed away after announcing his ALS diagnosis in 2025.

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family said in a statement. “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.”

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“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,” they continued. 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.”

“Grey’s Anatomy” fans immediately took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in order to pay tribute to the late actor. In 2006, he appeared on the second season of the show as Dr. Mark Sloan. Due to fan reaction, he quickly became a sex symbol, and his plotlines often involved him sleeping around with his coworkers.

In 2019, he told Glamour that he leaned into the character’s “sensual” vibes. “It just kind of made sense,” he said at the time. “I felt like I had an artistic obligation to not shy away from that part of the character. And to a degree, there’s a lot of me in that guy. But I think at the end of the day, you tend to give people what they’re asking for, because it’s the path of least resistance.”

“I love that character; I just didn’t want to play that guy for the rest of my life,” he added. “It’s counterintuitive to what any actor wants to do with their career.”

In 2012, Dane’s character was killed off because, he speculated, he had become “very expensive” to the network. He discussed his exit in a 2024 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, admitting, “I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go.”

“I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I had understood when I was let go, and [show creator] Shonda [Rhimes] was really great,” he added.

In June 2025, “Supernatural” actor Jensen Ackles opened up about working with Eric Dane on their new Prime Video series, “Countdown.” The actor said that he was “proud to know” Dane and praised him as an “incredible human being.”

“He’s an incredible human being,” Ackles said while speaking to PEOPLE magazine. “I can’t say enough about him. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to work with him, but even more so to get to know him as a person. He brought a kindness, and a leadership, and an experience to the set that I think we all fed off of.”

“He is fight, not flight,” he added. “I’m just overly proud of Eric and his strength and what he’s doing and dealing with and this journey that he’s on. I’m proud to know him, but I’m even more proud to be his friend.”

“I mean, it was intense, it was immediate and it lasted,” he said of how Dane established an almost immediate chemistry with almost everyone on set. “It was almost odd. The crew was almost taken back. They were like, ‘Is this even real? Do these people get along like this?’ We played games, we sang songs, we did trivia, we were throwing darts, we hung out. I thought that the days of summer camp filming were long gone behind me.”

“But it wasn’t like a bunch of young 20s on a film set out in the Carolinas or something,” he continued. “This was a bunch of professionals — some husbands, some wives, some dads — coming together and truly enjoying each other’s company, truly enjoying the professionalism and the artistry that was happening on set. There was a light on this set that I hadn’t seen in a while.”

Shortly before his passing, Dane told E! News that he didn’t plan to stop working despite his diagnosis.

“I’m going to ride this ’til the wheels fall off,” Dane said. “[Work] keeps me sharp. It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now.”

“I feel great when I’m at work,” he continued. “Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks, but I feel pretty good. My spirit is always pretty buoyant, so at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

RIP Eric Dane.