- Actor Eric Dane has died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 53.
- He had first announced his ALS diagnosis only 10 months prior.
- The actor became a strong advocate for research following his diagnosis.
- The disease is not curable, but there are treatments that can slow its progression.
- There are also treatments that can improve function and comfort for patients.
Actor Eric Dane died on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after a “courageous battle” with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to an announcement on his official Instagram account.
“He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, Rebecca, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the post read.
It additionally spoke of his advocacy for awareness and research.
Although not mentioned in the post, Dane had partnered with I AM ALS and its Push for Progress initiative, which aims to raise money to accelerate research and expand access to promising new treatments.
Dane also lobbied for the extension of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act. This law, which was passed in 2021, provided five years of funding for research and allowed early access to ALS treatments. It is set to expire in 2026, according to reporting from CNN.
The 53-year-old star, best-known for his roles as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on “Grey’s Anatomy” and Cal Jacobs in “Euphoria,” first revealed his diagnosis 10 months prior to his death.
In an interview with People at the time, Dane said, “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week.”
However, it appears that he did not have as much time left as he had hoped. “[H]is illness progressed far more quickly than anyone could have imagined,” the announcement said.
Rab Nawaz Khan, MD, a board certified neurologist who is a consultant at MyMSTeam, told Healthline that ALS is a progressive disease that damages motor neurons, the nerve cells that control voluntary movement.
You might also hear it referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” due to it becoming widely known after it was diagnosed in baseball player Lou Gehrig.
“The earliest symptoms are often focal weakness, like hand clumsiness, foot drop, tripping, trouble with buttons, or a change in speech clarity,” said Khan. “Many people also notice muscle cramps, twitching, and muscle thinning in the affected area.”
As the disease progresses, weakness can spread to other regions, he noted, affecting walking, arm function, speech, and swallowing.
Eventually, the person’s breathing muscles weaken, leading to symptoms such as poor sleep, morning headaches, and shortness of breath with activity.
“Sensation is usually preserved,” Khan added, “so numbness and tingling are not typical ALS features, and a subset of patients can have changes in thinking or behavior.”
Non-Hispanic white people are most likely to develop the disease. The agency additionally notes a poorly understood link between military service and ALS.
Around 10% of all ALS cases are due to a genetic mutation, according to NINDS.
Khan said that ALS is not yet curable, although there are treatments that can moderately slow its progression. There are also interventions that improve comfort and function.
“Disease-targeted medications include riluzole and edaravone, which can slow decline in certain patients, and a gene-targeted therapy is available for a specific inherited form related to SOD1,” he explained.
However, Khan said the biggest impact often comes from multidisciplinary ALS care, where breathing, nutrition, mobility, and communication are addressed early and proactively.
“Noninvasive ventilation can improve sleep, energy, and quality of life when breathing muscles weaken, and cough assist devices help clear secretions,” he said.
“Nutrition support, speech therapy, communication devices, physical and occupational therapy, and symptom-directed medications for spasticity, drooling, cramps, mood or pseudobulbar affect can meaningfully reduce day-to-day burden,” added Khan.
Research is ongoing, however, and thanks to Dane’s efforts, it is gaining more attention than ever.
Though ALS ultimately claimed his life, his work may help accelerate progress for those still living with the disease.
