Eric Dane was set for a major comeback moment at the 2025 Emmys—joining his Grey’s Anatomy castmates for a long-awaited 20th-anniversary reunion. But when the curtain rose, “McSteamy” was nowhere to be seen. The reason? The same “nasty disease” he’s been fighting with courage and honesty: ALS.
Just days before the ceremony, the 52-year-old actor suffered a fall at home—one of the devastating side effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the progressive neurological disease that affects muscle control. He was rushed to the hospital for stitches, forcing him to miss what he called a moment he’d been “really looking forward to.”
Fans know Dane best as the charismatic Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy and for his acclaimed role in Euphoria. But in April 2025, he revealed a heartbreaking diagnosis: “I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he told People. He thanked his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, and their daughters, Billie and Georgia, for their unwavering love, asking the public for privacy as they faced the challenge together.
ALS is an unforgiving disease. It gradually strips away the ability to move, speak, and eventually even breathe. While some live only a few years after diagnosis, others—like the late Stephen Hawking—manage to defy the odds for decades.
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