Eric Dane 'grateful' for family amidst ALS diagnosis

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Eric Dane 'grateful to have my loving family by my side' amidst ALS diagnosis

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Eric Dane just shared that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, exclusively reported by PEOPLE.

"I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter," he expressed. "I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."

He is widely recognized for his work as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy. He joined the show in the second season and left after the first two episodes of Season 9. However, he did reprise his role in a Season 17 episode alongside Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey.

In Euphoria, the actor portrays Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs. The third season is scheduled to start production on April 14. The HBO series also stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow and Colman Domingo.

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Recently, his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, opened up to E! News after filing to dismiss her divorce petition from 2018. "We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents," she explained. "We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well."

She continued to add, "I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It's just a season. It wasn't a failure. It was a huge success. We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids so I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it."

According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It causes loss of muscle control and worsens over time. There is no cure.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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