Former Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane passed away a week ago, on February 19th. And on Thursday’s episode of ABC’s long-running drama, the show paid tribute to him and the character he played, Dr. Mark Sloan, in a video at the end of the episode. The 65-second-long McSteamy montage is set to Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” covered by Tommy Proffitt & the Fleuries, a song that became iconic when it was used in the show’s Season 2 finale when Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) dies and Izzy (Katherine Heigl) refuses to let him go. Since then, various versions of “Chasing Cars” have been used on “Grey’s” and its promos to great effect, always highlighting emotional events. (Full video is below.)
Dane joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy in Season 2, playing a plastic surgeon and a women’s dresser. Mark, also known as McSteamy, is Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) best friend whose marriage falls apart after an affair with Derek’s wife Addison (Kate Walsh). Mark Sloan proved to be a popular character, and Dane became a series regular in season three. He died during season 8 when the doctors at the hospital were involved in a plane crash. Despite this, Dane made several more appearances on the show, including in season 19 when Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was hallucinating due to the coronavirus, and the show’s deceased characters visited her.
Dane was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2025. Despite his terminal illness, he played an ALS patient on NBC’s “Brilliant Minds” in the fall and completed filming season 3 of “Euphoria” in which he played Cal Jacobs. “Euphoria” will premiere on HBO on April 12th.
Dane’s death sparked an outpouring of sadness from his Grey’s Anatomy colleagues, from creator Shonda Rhimes to Heigl and Walsh, who all took to social media to pay loving tributes to him.
The video, which plays “Chasing Cars,” begins with Mark calling himself and Meredith “dirty mistresses” until he became a father. A montage of Mark’s advice to Jackson (Jesse Williams) from his deathbed is played. “When you love someone, you say it, even if you’re afraid it’s not the right thing to do. Even if you’re afraid it will consume your life, you say it. You say it out loud.”
Watch the Grey’s Anatomy tribute to Eric Dane below.
