Eric Dane said that living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, was “so horrible” in his last public appearance before his death.

Dane died at the age of 53 on Thursday, Feb. 19, PEOPLE confirmed. In December 2025, the actor appeared in his final public appearance at a virtual panel featuring I AM ALS and Synapticure co-founders Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya for Giving Tuesday. During the panel, he discussed his first onscreen role since his diagnosis, for which he appeared as an ALS patient on Brilliant Minds as Matthew, a firefighter and 9/11 hero struggling to tell his wife about his diagnosis.

While Dane admitted that the most challenging thing about his Brilliant Minds appearance was separating himself from his character, who was living something “so real” for him, he was ultimately  “grateful” for the “cathartic” experience.

“I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day, I don’t think anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my bedroom, crawled under the sheets, and spent the next two weeks crying,” he said at the time. “And I was a little bit pleasantly surprised when I realized that I wasn’t built like that, because I thought for sure that was gonna be me.”

Dane found it “very encouraging” to know that he could actually have a “buoyant spirit in the face of something so horrible.”

“I make sure that people are aware of what ALS is and what it’s about, and more importantly, what we can do to combat it and improve the landscape, because it’s so rocky and littered with hurdles and bureaucracy and all this other nonsense that we’re trying to sift through so we can get to a place where we go, start working on solution,” Dane continued, discussing his hopes at the time for research into the medical condition.

Dane became a star with his role as Dr. Mark Sloan — a.k.a. McSteamy — in Grey’s Anatomy. His death comes 10 months after he went public with his ALS diagnosis.

The actor’s family confirmed Dane’s death in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, Feb. 19. “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” read the statement. “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.”

“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” the statement continued. “He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”

Dane is survived by his daughters, Billie and Georgia, whom he shared with Rebecca Gayheart.