Eric Dane tragically passed away in February at the age of 53 after a battle with ALS. The “Grey’s Anatomy” star completed filming his role in “Euphoria” Season 3 before his death.
His character, Cal Jacobs, did not appear in the season premiere, but a photo of Dane was shown on the screen with the message, “In memory of Eric Dane. 1972-2026.”
Dane appears for the first time since his death in the season’s second episode, “America My Dream,” which aired Sunday.
Warning: Spoilers ahead. Do not proceed if you have not watched the second episode of ‘Euphoria’ Season 3, ‘America My Dream’.
Cal shows up about halfway through the episode to visit his son, Nate (Jacob Elordi). Father and son converse in Nate’s kitchen, and it’s mostly friendly, with little of the explosive tension that existed in the first two seasons of the show. Cal spends most of his screen time sitting.
When they arrive at Nate’s house, he appears to be in high spirits (or tipsy) and singing a song. In Nate’s kitchen, Cal tells Nate that he is attending a meeting of the SLA, a gathering of “sex and love addicts.”
In the season premiere, it was revealed that Nate’s fiancée, Cassie (Sidney Sweeney), is trying to sell photos of herself on OnlyFans to raise $50,000 for flower arrangements for their wedding.
Cal makes a worrying comment to Nate about Cassie’s photo. When Nate refuses, Cal expresses concern that Nate is having “financial problems.” Nate had taken over Cal’s construction business, and although it was hinted on the show that he was having a hard time, Nate never responded to Cal.
While Nate cooks, Cal reminds his son to “pursue pleasure” instead of “appreciating what you have at home” and compares what he and Kathy are doing. Nate dismisses the comparison and tells Cal, “You’re gay. You’re in denial, but it manifests itself in a very strange way.”
Cal replies, “I wasn’t gay, I was a hedonist.”
Overall, Cal and Nate seem at ease with each other.
This is a big change from the rocky relationship of seasons 1 and 2. This change continues a trend in season 3 of drastically changing Nate’s emotions, leading fans to say he “got a lobotomy.”
During the first two seasons of “Euphoria”, Cal was harsh towards Nate, criticizing his football skills and encouraging his aggressiveness. Although Cal was married to Nate’s mother and projected an image of being a wealthy family man, he frequently went to hotels to have sex with young men and women, including Nate’s transgender classmate Jules (Hunter Schaefer). He videotaped their encounter.
Nate discovers Cal’s sex tape at a young age, which disrupts his notions of sex and masculinity. It shaped Nate’s anger issues and his borderline mental behavior.
At the end of season 1, Nate and Cal had a physical fight. In season 2, Cal told Nate that he was his biggest regret. In season 2, to keep Cal’s secret, Nate threatens his ex-girlfriend Maddie (Alexa Demme) with a gun after she steals Cal’s sex tape. Season 2 ended with Nate calling the police about Cal (the show hinted that a minor was in the sex tape with him).
Season 3 is set five years after the events of season 2. It’s unclear how Nate and Cal went from having an explosively hostile relationship to casually spending time in Nate’s kitchen. Even in the first scene of Season 3, there was no depiction of Nate calling the police about Cal.
Dane announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He passed away less than a year later, on February 19, 2026.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is “a neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,” leading to a “loss of muscle control” that progresses over time. There is no cure.
“I feel lucky to be able to continue working and look forward to returning to the set of ‘Euphoria’ next week,” Dane told People magazine in April 2025.
In June, Dane told Access Hollywood that he was “delighted to be back” on set after the show’s four-year hiatus, with Season 2 set to air in 2022.
In a recent interview, creator Sam Levinson told Extra that Dane told him about the diagnosis before they started filming.
“We talked a lot about what life is and what it means. I loved him so much, and I said, ‘Eric, no matter what form you show up, we’re going to make it work. I have faith that everything will be fine.'”
Levinson added that when Dane arrived on set, his “voice was slightly slurred” due to his illness.
In response, Levinson recalled, “I said, ‘Don’t worry. All I have to do is put about five beer bottles in front of you and you’ll be drinking all night.'” He was like, “Perfect, perfect.” And his personality was such a gift. ”
It has not been announced how many episodes of Euphoria Dane will appear in season 3, but the trailer shows Cal attending Nate and Cassie’s wedding in the third episode.
Dane and actress Rebecca Gayheart called off their divorce in March 2025, one month before he announced his ALS diagnosis. The former couple married in 2004 and have daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.
Elordi has not spoken publicly about her TV dad’s death, but a month earlier she was seen posing for pictures and chatting with Dane’s daughters at the Hollywood premiere of Wuthering Heights.
Dane is the third behind-the-scenes tragedy on “Euphoria.” Cast member Angus Cloud, who played Fez, overdosed in 2023 at the age of 25, and executive producer Kevin Turen died in November 2023 at the age of 44 from a cardiac emergency while driving.
The season premiere ended with a “memorial” tribute to all three.
“Euphoria” Season 3 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
