Featured Image Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Grey's Anatomy, Health, TV And Film, US News, Patrick Dempsey
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Celebrity, Grey's Anatomy, Health, TV And Film, US News, Patrick Dempsey
Eric Dane’s Grey’s Anatomy co-star Patrick Dempsey has shared some heartbreaking details on the actor's final days.
Dane sadly passed away aged 53 on Thursday (19 February) following an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis last year.
ALS is a degenerative form of motor neurone disease. It leads to muscle weakness in the arms and legs, often causing people to trip or struggle to hold onto things.
Dane, who starred as Dr Mark Sloan in the hit medical drama, is survived by his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters, Billie and Georgia.
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The family confirmed his death in a statement to PEOPLE, which reads: "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS.
"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.
"Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight."
The message concluded: "He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."
Dempsey, who played Dr Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy, has since shared a touching tribute following his co-star's passing while being interviewed on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show in London.
The Hollywood A-lister began: “I just woke up this morning and it was very sad to read the news. It’s hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children.
“I was corresponding with him. We were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak.”
Dempsey explained that Dane was ‘bedridden’, adding: “It was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.”
He went on to share some heartfelt memories, continuing: “He was the funniest man – he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it.
“He had a great sense of humour. He was easy to work with, we got along instantly. First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant.”
“We hit it off because it was never really any competition,” Demspey carried on. “There was just this wonderful mutual respect. He's wickedly intelligent and I'm always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people's lives and the real loss is for us who don't have them anymore.”
The actor rounded off the tribute, praising Dane’s efforts for raising awareness on ALS.
“He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it's our last day,” Dempsey concluded, adding: “It's something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have.”