Eric Dane, the actor who played Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy and Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, died on Thursday at age 53, according to multiple reports. He had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and went public with his diagnosis in 2025.
Tributes poured in from co-stars and friends. Ashton Kutcher, John Stamos, Nina Dobrev, Robert Patrick, Maria Shriver, and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson paid tribute to Dane. Kevin McKidd posted a tribute to Dane on Instagram. Patrick Dempsey paid tribute to Dane, describing him as the 'funniest man.'
He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.
According to Eric Dane's representative, he spent his final days surrounded by friends, his wife, and his two daughters. Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004, and they had two children, Billie and Georgia. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 but later dismissed the petition. The nature of their relationship at the time of his death has not been confirmed.
Dane played Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy from 2006 to 2012, a role that made him a household name. He later played Cal Jacobs in HBO's Euphoria, a character that earned him critical acclaim.
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. He was bedridden, and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly. 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...
Euphoria's season three premiere included a photo of Dane with the message 'In remembrance of Eric Dane. 1972-2026.' He returned in the second episode, which aired on Sunday, marking his first posthumous appearance. In the episode, Cal Jacobs visits his son Nate and discusses SLA meetings and financial issues. Sam Levinson revealed that Dane told him about his ALS diagnosis before filming began. Levinson said that Dane had a slight slur in his voice due to ALS, and they worked around it by placing beer bottles in front of him. Dane's character Cal is set to make further appearances throughout season three, though the exact number of episodes has not been confirmed.
The exact date of Dane's death and the cause of death have not been disclosed. It is also unclear if there are any other upcoming projects featuring Dane.