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Patrick Dempsey has praised his friend and former co-star Eric Dane for being “brave” and “using his platform in a positive way” despite being diagnosed with ALS.
Months after Grey’s Anatomy alum Dane, 60, announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), he still tries to keep in touch with his series co-stars, he told Parade in his latest cover interview.
“I talked to him a few weeks ago, we’ve been texting,” Dempsey said in an interview on Wednesday, January 28, revealing that he had tried to cast Dane in his new thriller “Memories of a Murderer.”
He added, “Unfortunately, the progression of his disease has made that virtually impossible. But I was happy to see him working on another medical drama (‘Brilliant Minds’), perhaps here in Toronto.”
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Mr Dempsey acknowledged it was “very difficult” for Dane, but said he was trying to “keep in touch and see how he is doing”.
Dempsey said of his Grey’s co-star Dane: “I think he was incredibly brave in the face of this terrible disease. He’s such an amazing human being.” “He has a great sense of humor and is very smart. I always enjoy working with and being around Eric.”
“It’s heartbreaking,” he added. “That’s really true. For him and for his family. You feel for them when you see this terrible disease and the speed at which it attacks the body. But he brings a lot of light to it and uses his platform in a positive way. I wish him the best.”
Dane and Dempsey appeared side by side on Grey’s from 2006, when Dane appeared in season 2, to 2013. Dane left the show in season 9, and Dempsey, played by Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, first appeared in the show’s premiere, but left the main cast in season 11 in 2015.
Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan, the Plastic God, has remained friends with Dempsey and has often hung out with the friend, especially in 2020, and Dempsey and Dempsey showed fans how to properly practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic through Instagram photos.
In April 2025, Dane exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that he had been diagnosed with ALS, saying, “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as I navigate this next chapter.” ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of muscles.
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In December, Dane said during a panel discussion hosted by I AM ALS with Brilliant Minds creator Michael Grassi that she felt it was “essential to share my journey with as many people as possible.”
“Because I felt like my life wasn’t mine anymore,” he said at the time. “That’s something I’ve had to wrestle with. I’m a pretty selfish person and I want to spend my life on my own, but I can’t do that.”
He later added, “I want people to know what ALS is and, more importantly, what they can do to fight it and improve their situation.”
