"Grey's Anatomy" Actor Eric Dane Dies at 53 After Battle with ALS

"Spent His Final Days With Family"

Actor Eric Dane, who appeared in the American medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," has died at the age of 53.

According to CNN and other outlets on the 19th (local time), Dane died that afternoon after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

His publicist said in a statement, "We share the news that Eric Dane passed away on the afternoon of the 19th after a brave fight with ALS," adding, "He spent his final days surrounded by his beloved friends, his wife, and his two daughters, Billie and Georgia."

The late actor Dane Eric. AP Yonhap News

Since publicly revealing his ALS diagnosis in April last year, Dane had been actively speaking out to raise awareness of the disease and support research. Immediately after being diagnosed, he said he would "fight until my last breath," and even during his illness he continued his passionate efforts, including visiting Washington, D.C. to urge support for related legislation. Last fall, he also appeared in the medical drama "Brilliant Minds," playing a firefighter living with ALS.

Dane made his debut in 1991 with the sitcom "Saved by the Bell," and gained huge popularity in 2006 for his role as plastic surgeon Mark Sloan in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." He later appeared in films such as "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Marley & Me," and in 2019 he played a strict father in the HBO series "Euphoria."

Meanwhile, ALS is a fatal disease in which the gradual loss of motor neurons leads to muscle weakness and atrophy, causing symptoms such as speech impairment, weakness in the limbs, and weight loss, and ultimately resulting in death due to respiratory failure. The average survival time is known to be 2 to 5 years, and there is currently no cure. Treatment focuses on slowing the progression of the disease and cannot maintain or restore the function of atrophied muscles.

The name "Lou Gehrig's disease" was coined in honor of Lou Gehrig, a famous American baseball player who died of the illness in the 1930s at the young age of 38.