In April, Eric Dane revealed he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The actor — best known for his roles as Mark Sloan (a.k.a. “McSteamy”) in Grey’s Anatomy and as Cal Jacobs in Euphoria — told People he was “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
Dane further opened up about his diagnosis in a Good Morning America interview with Diane Sawyer, which aired today, where he said he has lost the use of his right arm, calling the degenerative disease’s progression “sobering.” “I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand [functioning] either,” he said.
Dane said he began experiencing symptoms over a year ago, when he noticed weakness in his right hand. “I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued,” he said. “But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse, so I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist.”
He was told he had ALS after consulting two different neurologists. “I’ll never forget those three letters,” he recalled of receiving the diagnosis.
Dane has two daughters, ages 13 and 15, with his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart. The two filed for divorce in 2018 but then filed to dismiss the divorce proceedings in March. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is … probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her,” he said of their relationship.
A former competitive swimmer, Dane said the gravity of his diagnosis hit him a few months ago, when he went boating with his 13-year-old daughter. At one point, he said they’d both jumped into the ocean before he realized he was no longer strong enough to swim. “She dragged me back to the boat … I was just, I was, like, heartbroken,” he said, adding that he broke down crying once he was back onboard.
Dane’s father died by suicide when he was 7 years old, and he acknowledged how painful it is realizing his daughters may also lose him far too young. “I’m angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young,” he said. “And now, you know, there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they’re very young.”
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most people with ALS die within three to five years of first experiencing symptoms, though some may survive several years longer. There is no known cure, but treatments can help slow the disease’s progression.
Dane said he is focused on making the most of the time he has, prioritizing his family and continuing to work for as long as he can. He will appear in season three of Euphoria and told People in April that he was returning to set just days after publicly revealing his diagnosis. “I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,” he told Sawyer. “I don’t think this is the end of my story. I just don’t feel like, in my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end of me.”