Eric Dane spent his final months raising money and awareness for ALS
eric dane has died at 53, 10 months after he publicly confirmed an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in April 2025, and spent the remainder of his life pressing for new research funding and public understanding of the disease.
Eric Dane put fundraising at the center of his last months
In September he helped launch a three-year campaign that aims to raise more than $1bn in federal funding for ALS research, and by December he had joined the board of Target ALS and helped one of its campaigns surpass a $500, 000 fundraising target. He told interviewers less than a fortnight ago, "I'm trying to save my life, " and used his profile to press for policy and research attention during the campaign's early months.
On-screen work and roles that echoed his advocacy
Dane was best known for appearing in more than 100 episodes of Grey's Anatomy as Dr Mark Sloan, nicknamed "Dr McSteamy, " a character who first arrived in the show's second series in 2006. His television career also included a lead role in The Last Ship from 2014 to 2018 and a November appearance on the medical drama Brilliant Minds, in which he played a firefighter who struggles to accept help after an ALS diagnosis. He later told a virtual panel that playing a role so close to his own situation was "challenging but cathartic. "
Personal urgency and a public campaign
After announcing his diagnosis in April 2025, Dane described his motivation in blunt terms: he framed his activism as a personal fight and a public push, saying he wanted to move the conversation forward and improve what he called a landscape "rocky and littered with hurdles and bureaucracy. " He introduced himself in campaign materials as an actor, a father and "now a person living with ALS, " and said it was "imperative" to share his journey "because I don't feel like my life is about me anymore. "
The three-year campaign launched in September, which aims to secure more than $1bn in federal research funding, remains in progress and Target ALS continues as the research organization Dane joined in December. Officials and campaign materials outline the multi‑year effort as the next confirmed phase of the work he helped set in motion.
