Eric Dane has died at the age of 53, PEOPLE confirms. Dane became a star with his role as Dr. Mark Sloan — a.k.a. McSteamy — in Grey’s Anatomy. Dane’s death comes 10 months after he went public with his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Eric Dane in 2005.Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Dane died Thursday, Feb. 19, the actor’s family confirms to PEOPLE. “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” reads a statement from Dane’s family. “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. 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.”
Alyssa Milano (left) and Eric Dane on ‘Charmed’ in 2004.The WB/Mitchell Haddad
Dane was born in San Francisco in 1972. His father died from a gunshot wound when he was 7 years old. “He was a Navy man and ended up becoming an architect and interior designer. He was a troubled soul,” Dane told Gulf Times in 2014. He said that until he became a parent himself, he never realized how “devastating” the loss must have been for him as a child.
He found acting accidentally. “I was a water polo player in high school and my season was short, and I ended up getting roped into playing Joe Keller in All My Sons. Dead serious. And I fell in love with it. I was, like, this is the greatest feeling ever!” he told Gulf Times.
Ellen Pompeo and Eric Dane (right) on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in 2006.Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles with “40 bucks in my pocket,” he told PEOPLE in 2014. “I ended up partying for the next eight years. I got into a lot of trouble.”
He landed guest spots on shows like Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, Roseanne and Married… with Children and joined Gideon’s Crossing in a recurring role. He then appeared on two seasons of Charmed. His first movie was 2000’s The Basket.
Eric Dane in 2008.Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
In 2006, he appeared on the second season of Grey’s Anatomy as Mark Sloan. Because of fan reaction, the part turned into a main role. Mark was extremely sexy, and his plotlines often involved him sleeping with his coworkers. Dane was also treated like a sex symbol.
“It just kind of made sense,” he told Glamour in 2019 about leaning into the character’s sensual vibes in real life. “I felt like I had an artistic obligation to not shy away from that part of the character. And to a degree, there’s a lot of me in that guy. But I think at the end of the day, you tend to give people what they’re asking for, because it’s the path of least resistance.”
“I love that character; I just didn’t want to play that guy for the rest of my life,” he said. “It’s counterintuitive to what any actor wants to do with their career.”
Dane left the series in 2012 when Mark was killed off, though he said in a 2024 episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, “I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go,” he said. Noting that he was “struggling” with addiction at the time, he said he didn’t think he was let go because of that, but because he had become “very expensive” to the network.
Jessica Biel (left) and Eric Dane in 2010’s ‘Valentine’s Day’.Ron Batzdorff/New Line Cinema
He added, “I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I had understood when I was let go, and [show creator] Shonda [Rhimes] was really great.”
Dane’s other TV and film credits included Euphoria, Burlesque, Valentine’s Day, Marley & Me and The Last Ship.
In 2004, he married actress Rebecca Gayheart. They welcomed daughters Billie and Georgia in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Rebecca Gayheart (left) and Eric Dane in 2017.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
In 2009, a leaked nude video of Dane, Gayheart and another woman hit the Internet. Two years later, Dane, who was open about his struggles with depression, went to rehab, having begun using painkillers after a sports injury. In 2014, he told PEOPLE that he regretted the situation, explaining, “We’ve all made mistakes. My one regret is that I got the person I love most wrapped up in all that: Rebecca.”
But in 2019, he clarified that he did not mean that he regretted the nude tape. “I often think about that answer I gave. And looking back now, was it a mistake? Absolutely not,” he told Glamour. “Three consenting adults, one of them being my wife? I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
“I didn’t regret it, I have no regrets nor do I make any apologies for my life experience,” he said. “It’s my life experience and I’m at peace with all of it.”
Eric Dane on ‘Euphoria’ in 2019.Eddy Chen/HBO
From 2014 to 2018, Dane starred on The Last Ship as Admiral Tom Chandler, though he told Glamour he felt the character was too similar to Mark Sloan. Wanting to try something different led to him joining Euphoria as Cal Jacobs, who seemed like a wholesome family man but met people online for anonymous sex.
“It’s been freeing for me to play this role,” he told Men’s Health in 2022, adding, “There’s a lot asked of me in this role, and the expectations are high. It’s incumbent on me to hit every note because Cal lives such a fragile kind of existence. This guy teeters on what is morally acceptable and what is legally acceptable. So it’s important that I hit all the notes because otherwise he can so easily be misunderstood. There’s a humanity to this character that I hope comes out.”
Dane also appeared in movies like Marley & Me, Valentine’s Day, Burlesque, American Carnage and Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018. However, she filed to have the divorce dismissed in March 2025.
Dane is survived by his daughters.
