‘You will be missed’ – Grey’s Anatomy stars pay tribute to actor Eric Dane

Grey’s Anatomy stars have paid tribute to actor Eric Dane, who died aged 53 after a public battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

His representatives announced his death on Friday, saying he spent his final days “surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world”.

Dane’s big break came in 2006, playing the suave Dr Mark “McSteamy” Sloan in the popular US medical drama.

He later reached a new generation of viewers when he was cast as Cal Jacobs, an antagonist on the HBO hit Euphoria.

Kevin McKidd, who portrays trauma surgeon Owen Hunt on Grey’s Anatomy, posted a picture of Dane to his Instagram stories, writing “Rest in Peace, Buddy”.

Kim Raver, who stars as McKidd’s on-screen wife Teddy Altman, called Dane a “light”.

“You’d see it effortlessly shine from him on the set of Grey’s as well as when he was with Rebecca and the girls,” she captioned an Instagram photo of the pair.

“During filming he’d get this twinkle in his eye and with a mischievous look, he would deliver with perfect comedic timing, a line of dialogue that would floor you! You will be missed.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by Sarah Drew, who played April Kepner, and James Pickens Jr, who portrays Richard Webber.

The US actor died less than a year after publicly revealing he had been diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease.

In a statement to Variety, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson said: ” I’m heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend Eric. Working with him was an honor. Being his friend was a gift.

“Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing.”

Alyssa Milano, who acted alongside Dane during his recurring role in the fantasy TV series Charmed, told her Instagram followers she could not stop thinking about the “spark in Eric’s eye right before he’d say something that would either make you spit out your drink or rethink your entire perspective”.

She wrote: “He had a razor-sharp sense of humor. He loved the absurdity of things. He loved catching people off guard.

“And when it came to his daughters and Rebecca, everything in him softened. He carried them with him even in rooms where they weren’t present. You could see it in the way his voice changed when he said their names. A breathtakingly beautiful family.”

Dane portrayed Jason Dean – a love interest of Milano’s character – for nine episodes in the show’s fifth and sixth seasons.

Ashton Kutcher, John Stamos, Nina Dobrev, Robert Patrick and Maria Shriver were among the celebrity friends who also paid tribute to Dane.

“The Franklin strip fanatics fantasy football league will miss Mr. Eric Dane,” Kutcher wrote in a post on X.

“We know you’ll be watching from the booth. Miss you, buddy. Let’s keep fighting the fight to solve ALS.”

Dobrev, who appeared alongside Dane in 2022’s Redeeming Love, remembered the actor as “warm, generous, prepared, and so passionate about what he did”.

“He led with kindness and made everyone on our set feel seen. ALS is a cruel and unforgiving disease,” she wrote on her Instagram stories.

Dane’s other screen credits include film roles in Burlesque, Marley and Me and Valentine’s Day. Between 2014 and 2018, he played Tom Chandler in the post-apocalyptic action series The Last Ship.

Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004. The couple had two daughters and later separated, but remained close until his death.