Eric Dane, who died Thursday at the age of 53 after a nearly year-long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), candidly revealed his vow to “fight” the disease in his final on-camera interview in December 2025.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor spoke about what it was like playing a character battling ALS on the drama series “Brilliant Minds” during the “I Am ALS” virtual panel on Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2.
“It was tough. There were moments where it was very difficult to get the line out,” he said.
“Nobody’s going to survive this. We both know that. I’ve never played a character that’s going through something that I’m going through, in real time, in real life.”
“I’m pretty limited in what I can do physically,” he added.
“I don’t feel like my life is my own anymore. Obviously, I have a family at home,” explained the father of two teenage daughters with wife Rebecca Gayheart. “But this is a huge issue for me. I want to make sure people know what ALS is, what it is all about, and more importantly, what we can do to fight it.”
“I’m willing to do anything and take on any role, but I think from now on I have to focus on ALS,” he said at the time, playing Matthew, a firefighter struggling to tell his family about his ALS diagnosis.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum announced his diagnosis in April. The role was the first show he filmed after receiving his diagnosis.
In an interview on “Good Morning America” in June 2025, he talked about the first symptoms of the disease.
“I started feeling a little bit of weakness in my right hand, but I wasn’t really thinking about it at the time,” the “Euphoria” actor told Diane Sawyer. “I thought maybe I was texting too much or my hands were tired. But after a few weeks, I noticed that my symptoms were getting a little worse.”
In September 2025, he was seen in a wheelchair at an airport in Washington, D.C., struggling to speak to a photographer.
In January, he abruptly withdrew from another ALS event, citing “the physical realities of ALS” and “not being healthy enough to participate.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a “neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,” causing “loss of muscle control” and progressing over time.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Eric Dane passed away on Thursday afternoon after a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by his beloved friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” Dane’s family said in a statement to People magazine on Thursday.
“Eric’s journey with ALS has made him a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same battle,” the statement continued. “He will be greatly missed and will always be remembered with fondness.”
I Am ALS said in a statement to Page Six that the actor is “a passionate champion, a generous spirit and a true advocate in the movement to end ALS.”
