Rebecca Gayheart, the widow of actor Eric Dane, has posted a series of family photographs on Instagram following his death at the age of 53. Dane passed away on Thursday after a 10-month battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease.
Dane was best known for playing Dr Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan on Grey's Anatomy from 2006 to 2012 and later appeared in Euphoria. His most recent role was in Brilliant Minds, where he portrayed a firefighter hiding an ALS diagnosis.
In her tribute, Gayheart shared images showing Dane with their daughters, Georgia, 14, and Billie, 15, including a birthday celebration. The couple married in 2004 and briefly filed for divorce in 2025 before reconciling. Dane had also been dating filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff, who paid her own tribute online.
Former co-star Patrick Dempsey paid tribute on Virgin Radio, recalling Dane's humour and noting how rapidly the disease deteriorated his quality of life. A GoFundMe page set up by friends for Dane's daughters has raised nearly half of its $250,000 target, with a $27,000 donation from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.
ALS is the most common form of MND, affecting around 60-70% of cases, and is more common in men. Symptoms include muscle wasting and weakness.
