Fans of Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most successful television series of the 21st century, received devastating — though not entirely unexpected — news on February 19. Eric Dane, the actor who brought Dr. Mark Sloan to life — immortalized by the nickname “McSteamy” — has died at the age of 53. The star of Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria revealed in 2025 that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disease.

Dane announced his diagnosis publicly in a direct, understated manner, asking for privacy while also committing to raising awareness about ALS. The disease affects motor neurons responsible for voluntary movement, leading to a gradual loss of strength, mobility, speech, and, in advanced stages, vital functions. In the months following his announcement, the progression became increasingly visible: muscle weakness, growing difficulty walking, and the need for physical support. Even so, he remained present and engaged with the public, transforming personal vulnerability into a quiet form of dignity.

Born in San Francisco in 1972, Eric Dane did not appear destined to become one of the most recognizable faces on American television. He discovered acting almost by accident as a teenager and spent years building a career through guest appearances on popular shows in the 1990s and early 2000s. He held recurring roles on television, gained visibility on Charmed, and appeared in small film parts before achieving global fame.

Everything changed in 2006 when he joined Grey’s Anatomy. Mark Sloan was initially introduced as a secondary character, but the audience response was immediate. The brilliant, seductive, and emotionally complex plastic surgeon quickly became one of the show’s central pillars and a defining symbol of 2000s pop culture. Dane was elevated to international sex-symbol status, yet he infused the role with vulnerability and depth that transcended simple charm.

After leaving the series in 2012, the actor entered a difficult transitional period marked by varied projects and personal struggles, including depression and substance dependence. He starred in the action series The Last Ship and appeared in several films, but seemed to be searching for a role that would decisively break away from his television heartthrob image.

That reinvention arrived with Euphoria. As Cal Jacobs, a seemingly respectable family man leading a secret life shaped by repression, shame, and self-destructive impulses, and father to Jacob Elordi’s character, Eric Dane delivered one of the HBO series’ most unsettling and complex performances. The role introduced him to a new generation and revealed a dramatic range far beyond the “McSteamy” archetype.

Off-screen, his life was also marked by public turbulence, including marital crises, a leaked intimate video, and treatment for prescription drug dependence following a sports injury. In interviews, he spoke candidly about mistakes, growth, and the ongoing effort to rebuild his life.

Eric Dane is survived by his daughters, Billie and Georgia, whom he often described as the center of his world. In his final months, as ALS progressed, he became an advocate for research and awareness, expanding his impact beyond acting.

His death closes a career that spanned two distinct eras of television: the mass-audience dominance of broadcast network dramas and the prestige landscape of streaming series. For many, he will always be the charismatic doctor who commanded the halls of Seattle Grace. For others, the deeply flawed and unsettling father in Euphoria. Between those two images stands an actor who aged in public without losing relevance — and whose final battle revealed, with brutal clarity, the fragility of the human body over time.

Today, television loses one of its most familiar faces. And fans lose not just an unforgettable character, but someone who accompanied them, week after week, through entire chapters of their own lives.