Eric Dane didn't think ALS would be the end of his story. On Thursday, it was.
The actor, best known as Dr. Mark Sloan onGrey's Anatomy, died on 19 February at the age of 53, his family confirmed toPeople. He'd been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease that slowly strips away muscle control, for less than a year since going public with his diagnosis.
'With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,' his family said in a statement. '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.'
The news hit his former Grey's Anatomy castmates hard. They'd already been rallying around him for months.
Ellen Pompeo, who played Meredith Grey opposite Dane for six seasons, didn't waste time when she learned about his diagnosis last April. She texted him immediately.
'As soon as I heard about his diagnosis, I texted him, and I said, 'I'm here if you want to speak,'' Pompeo said at the ALS Network Champions for Cures & Care Gala on 24 January. 'And my phone rang 30 seconds later.'
What did she tell him? 'Whatever you need, however I can help. I love you.'
Patrick Dempsey, whose character Derek Shepherd was Dane's on-screen best friend, kept in regular contact. He'd been texting. Trying to find ways to work together again.
'I spoke to him a few weeks ago,' Dempsey toldParadein January. 'It's very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he's doing. I think he's been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease.'
Dempsey had wanted Dane to appear on his new Fox series,Memory of a Killer. The disease wouldn't allow it.
Source: International Business Times UK
