Eric Dane, star of Grey’s Anatomy, dies aged 53
A year after revealing he had motor neurone disease, the American actor Eric Dane died on Tuesday aged 53. Best known for playing plastic surgeon Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy, he leaves behind a career that quickly moved beyond the heart-throb label that first brought him fame.
Dane had spoken publicly in 2024 about living with ALS, the progressive neurological condition that affects the nerve cells controlling voluntary movement. His decision to address the diagnosis directly drew attention to a disease that remains incurable and often misunderstood.
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Read the full reportFor many viewers, however, his defining legacy lies in television. Introduced in the second season of Grey’s Anatomy, Mark Sloan was intended as a short-term disruption to the show’s romantic centre. Instead, the character became one of its most enduring presences.
At the time of his arrival, the series revolved around Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, positioned as its central romantic figure. Sloan’s entrance recalibrated that balance. Written as confident and morally ambiguous, the character might easily have remained one-dimensional. Instead, Dane gave him comic timing, emotional credibility and an arc that moved from reckless womaniser to committed father and friend.
That shift altered the tone of the series. What began as a workplace drama driven by romantic tension broadened into a story about growth, responsibility and loyalty. Sloan’s on-off relationship with Lexie Grey became one of the programme’s defining narratives, culminating in his death following the plane crash that marked a turning point for the show.
Beyond Grey’s Anatomy, Dane built a varied television career, appearing in Charmed, The Last Ship and, more recently, HBO’s Euphoria. He spoke candidly over the years about struggles with depression and addiction, as well as the impact of sudden fame in the 2000s television era.
In his final year, attention shifted from past roles to present reality. By discussing his ALS diagnosis publicly, Dane joined a small group of high-profile figures who have drawn attention to the condition and the need for research funding. According to the UK’s Motor Neurone Disease Association, ALS affects thousands of people nationwide and remains without a cure.
His death has prompted tributes from colleagues and viewers who remember not only the striking screen presence that first drew attention, but the steadier craft that sustained a career beyond it.
Dane leaves behind a body of work defined less by surface appeal than by range and resilience.
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[Image Credit | Vanity Fair]
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