Patrick Dempsey gives heartbreaking update about former co-star Eric Dane amid ALS diagnosis

Patrick Dempsey has claimed it was “virtually impossible” to get former Grey’s Anatomy colleague Eric Dane on his new show, Memory of a Killer, because of the progression of the latter’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Dane, 53, who played fan-favorite plastic surgeon Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, announced in April that he was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder. He’s spoken openly about the condition since, and even played a patient with ALS on a November episode of NBC’s Brilliant Minds.

His former Grey’s Anatomy co-star Dempsey, who played top neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, has now opened up about staying in touch with Dane amid the ALS diagnosis.

“I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I’ve been texting with him. We were trying to get him in [Memory of a Killer],” the actor, 60, said during an interview with Parade, referring to his new Fox thriller series. “Unfortunately, the progression of his disease made it virtually impossible. But I was happy to see that he was here in Toronto working on, I think, another medical drama [Brilliant Minds].

“It’s very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he’s doing. I think he’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease,” Dempsey continued. “He’s such a wonderful human being. He has such a great sense of humor, and he’s so intelligent.”

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The Ferrari star expressed how much he “enjoyed working and being around” Dane. He also called the ALS diagnosis “heartbreaking” for Dane and his loved ones.

“You feel for them when you see this terrible disease and how quickly it attacks the body,” he added. “But he’s bringing a lot of light to that, and he’s using his platform in a positive way. I wish him the best.”

ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, as noted by the ALS Association. Early symptoms of the disease, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, include muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue; cramps, and slurred or nasal speech.

Shortly after he announced his diagnosis, Dane spoke about wanting to continue acting despite his ailments.

“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,” Dane told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America in June. “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.”

During his interview with Sawyer, Dane also revealed that his right side was no longer functioning and that he expected to lose control of his left hand.

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Last month, Dane’s wife, Rebecca Gayheart, revealed that the actor was receiving around-the-clock care, with nurses by his side 24/7.

Gayheart, who shares two daughters with Dane, opened up about her hard-fought battle with the insurance company to get approval for full-time care in an essay for The Cut.

“With the nurses, the woman from his insurance said to me, ‘You can keep applying, and I’ll keep denying,’ I was like, Oh? F that,” she wrote.

“I made it my mission. I was ‘locked in,’ as the kids would say. I crashed out, and then I locked it in. And we got it approved after two appeals.”