Eric Dane: How eric dane gave his final months to moving the needle on ALS

eric dane, the actor best known for his role as Dr Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy, has died aged 53, 10 months after confirming he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In his final months he focused on fundraising and public advocacy for the rare, incurable condition, launching a multi-year drive that set concrete financial targets for federal research funding.

Eric Dane's final months

The actor went public with his diagnosis in April 2025 and died 10 months after making that confirmation. He described his situation in recent published remarks with the blunt declaration, "I'm trying to save my life. " Over that period he repeatedly emphasized the urgency of improving research and care for those living with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that progressively impairs voluntary muscle function and eventually the ability to speak, eat, walk and breathe independently.

eric dane's ALS campaign

In September he helped launch a three-year campaign that set an ambitious goal: to raise more than $1 billion in federal funding for ALS research. In a campaign video he introduced himself as an actor, a father and "now a person living with ALS, " stressing the need to "finally push toward ending this disease. " By December he had joined the board of directors of a research organization focused on ALS and helped one of its campaigns surpass an initial fundraising target of $500, 000.

On-screen work and public reach

Dane was widely known for appearing in more than 100 episodes of the hospital drama as Dr Mark Sloan, nicknamed "Dr McSteamy. " He also turned his craft toward raising awareness: in November he appeared on an episode of the medical drama Brilliant Minds playing a firefighter who struggles to accept help after an ALS diagnosis. He told a virtual panel the experience of playing a role so close to his own condition had been challenging but "cathartic, " and he framed public storytelling as an imperative because he felt his life no longer belonged solely to him.

Legacy and what comes next

Dane's final months were dominated by advocacy rather than private withdrawal. The three-year campaign he helped launch establishes a measurable target for federal research funding, and his board role with an ALS research organization tied him directly to fundraising milestones already reached. If the campaign continues to meet or exceed its fundraising benchmarks, it could materially increase federally supported research into treatments and care for people living with ALS. Medical interventions and supportive technologies can improve quality of life for ALS patients, but a cure has not been found.

• Age and timeline: Died aged 53, 10 months after confirming an April 2025 diagnosis.
• Fundraising goals: Launched a three-year drive aiming for more than $1 billion in federal research funding; helped a campaign pass a $500, 000 fundraising target.
• Public engagement: Used acting and public remarks to raise awareness and press for policy change.

Dane leaves behind a public record of last efforts focused squarely on accelerating research funding and lifting awareness of a disease that remains without a cure. The three-year campaign and his ongoing board work will serve as near-term markers of the initiative he prioritized in his final months.