The American actor Eric Dane’s death was announced on the day of his passing around 6pm, on February 19th, 2026. He died at 53 years old of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS. He was a highly revered actor best known for his role on the ABC series Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Mark Sloan, also known as “McSteamy.” His performance as Cal Jacobs in the HBO series Euphoria was also highly praised. However, his legacy goes far beyond his acting roles. Dane was also open about his diagnosis and struggle with ALS, and sought to raise awareness as well as money for research on the disease.
Dane was born on November 9, 1972 in San Francisco. Although he would go on to have an extremely successful career, he also faced many struggles, especially from an early age. When Dane was 7 years old, his father died from suicide. Dane went on to live with his grandmother with whom he was very close, but she passed away as well shortly after. The deaths of two very important figures in his life at such an early age left Dane with an unrelenting trauma that would affect him for the rest of his life.
In 1993 at age 20, Dane moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. He booked small guest and recurring roles in numerous television shows, and his first film debut was in 2000 in the film The Basket. However, his first main role in a television series, arguably his most known role, was as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy. He originally appeared as a guest at the end of the second season, where he emerged from a steaming shower in nothing but a towel. His appearance was so well received that he was made into a series regular from season 3 to season 8. His character was dubbed “McSteamy” in the show by the show’s namesake Dr. Meredith Grey, as in relation to the already established nickname “McDreamy” given to character Dr. Derek Shepard.
Dane’s character quickly became a fan favorite, and his character’s relationship with Dr. Lexie Grey is regarded as one of the best couples throughout the entire series. However, he was asked to leave the show at the conclusion of its eighth season in 2012, which in part had to do with his relapse into drugs and alcohol. However, he returned to the show as a special guest star for one episode in 2021.
He continued acting after Grey’s, and his most notable role post-Grey’s was his portrayal of Cal Jacobs in Euphoria which premiered in 2019. He explained in his final interview that he related a lot in particular to this character, in particular his “double-life” that he led. During his relapse in alcohol and drug abuse due to the overwhelming fame of Grey’s Anatomy, he explained that his outside appearance was completely different (much better) than his internal self. It is also reported that Dane was able to film scenes for season 3 of Euphoria set to release this April prior to his death.
Eric Dane was forced to conclude acting when he was diagnosed with ALS. He started feeling symptoms in late 2023 and onward, and publicly announced his diagnosis in April of 2025. Throughout 2025 and early 2026, Dane’s symptoms became much worse; he lost right side motor function, had slurred speech, and was forced to use a wheelchair. However, this did not stop him from raising awareness about the disease. He partnered with “I AM ALS” to initiate a fundraiser of one billion dollars for ALS research. He also used his online platform to speak about his experience and complicated relationship with the disease. He even appeared on an episode of Brilliant Minds, playing a firefighter with ALS.
After his death, on the Netflix series Famous Last Words, a final, 50-minute long, in-depth interview was released with Dane and the show’s creator, going through his achievements and challenges in life. In the interview, he shouts out his two daughters of whom he had with Rebecca Gayheart (although they eventually separated): Billie and Georgia. He left them and the interview viewers with four crucial life lessons: live in the moment, fall in love with your passion, find your people, and fight with all you have.