Patrick Dempsey Says Late Costar Eric Dane Would Have Been ‘Really Happy to Know That He Was So Beloved'
Patrick Dempsey Says Late Costar Eric Dane Would Have Been ‘Really Happy to Know That He Was So Beloved'
Angel SaundersThu, February 26, 2026 at 2:58 AM UTC
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Eric Dane and Patrick Dempsey at the 2007 People's Choice AwardsCredit: Vince Bucci/Getty -
Patrick Dempsey is reflecting on the life of his Grey's Anatomy co-star, Eric Dane
Dane died on Feb. 19, less than a year after announcing his ALS diagnosis. He was 53
In a new interview, Dempsey remembered Dane as "so beloved," adding that he is "deeply missed"
Patrick Dempsey continues to pay tribute to his late friend and costar, Eric Dane.
In a new interview with News Talk FM published Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Grey’s Anatomy alum opened up about the recent loss of his former costar, who died on Feb. 19 at the age of 53.
“It’s very hard when you lose a family member. I lost my father very young, and my mother’s passed,” Dempsey, 60, told the interviewer, who shared that her sister died just a week ago.
“And now several friends in the last year I’ve lost," the actor added. "Eric was so beloved, and I think he would really be so happy to know — and I know a lot of people reached out to him before his passing to keep track — that he was so beloved and is deeply missed.”
Just 10 months before he died, the Euphoria star announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
His family shared news of his death with PEOPLE on Feb. 19.
"With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," his family began. "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world."
Dane starred as Dr. Mark Sloan (a.k.a. McSteamy) on Grey's Anatomy from season 2 to season 9.
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Sloan and Dempsey's Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd had a brotherhood and bond during the time their roles overlapped on the medical drama.
One day after Dane’s death, Dempsey looked back at the final moments they shared, and sent love to his daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, whom Dane shared with wife Rebecca Gayheart.
"I feel really so sad for his children," said Dempsey on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Feb. 20. "I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak."
Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane in 'Grey’s Anatomy'Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare, degenerative disease that progressively paralyzes muscles. Those diagnosed often deal with twitches or weakness in a limb, before slurred speech. ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain as well as the spine that control muscle movement, which causes individuals to slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently, per the Mayo Clinic.
"He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly," Dempsey added of Dane. "He was the funniest man - he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it.”
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The Made of Honor actor also praised Dane’s work ethic on set.
"He had a great sense of humor. He was easy to work with, we got along instantly," Dempsey added. "First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
