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Patrick Dempsey Shares Update on 'Grey’s Anatomy' Costar Eric Dane's ALS Battle
Ellen Pompeo is supporting Eric Dane amid his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Indeed, the Grey’s Anatomy star—who costarred with Eric on the medical series for six seasons—opened up about finding out her longtime friend was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.
"As soon as I heard about his diagnosis, I texted him, and I said, 'I’m here if you want to speak,'" Ellen said in a pre-taped message at the ALS Network Champions for Cures & Care Gala Jan. 24, per People. "And my phone rang 30 seconds later."
At the time, Ellen offered to help Eric, 53—who played her character Meredith Grey’s colleague Mark “McSteamy” Sloan—with "whatever you need, however I can help. I love you."
"I’m really proud of you," she added. "I love you so much and I am honored to get to speak about you today."
Ellen, 56, also reflected on working with the Euphoria actor for the first time when he joined the show during season two.
"I remember when he came in as McSteamy and us having instant electric chemistry,” she explained, “and I immediately just fell in love with him.”
Ahead of the gala, the ALS Network revealed that Eric—who announced his ALS diagnosis in April—was forced to miss the event, where he was recognized as Advocate of the Year.
“The ALS Network has been informed that Eric Dane had hoped to join us this evening to accept his Advocate of the Year Award, but due to the physical realities of ALS, he is not well enough to attend,” the organization said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the event. “We remain deeply grateful for his courage, advocacy, and continued commitment to the ALS community, and we honor him fully this evening with our profound respect and support.”
Photo by Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
But Ellen isn’t the only Greys star who has been supporting Eric amid his health journey. Recently, Patrick Dempsey—who played Eric’s onscreen best friend Derek Shepherd—shared that the pair had “been texting.”
“I spoke to him a few weeks ago,” Patrick told Parade in an interview published Jan. 28, explaining he tried to get Eric—dad to kids Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, with estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart—to guest star on his TV show Memory of a Killer. “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].”
Though the 60-year-old noted that the disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has been “very hard” for Eric, Patrick is inspired by his pal’s bravery.
“He’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease,” the Sweet Home Alabama actor continued. “He’s such a wonderful human being. He has such a great sense of humor, and he’s so intelligent. I’ve always enjoyed working and being around Eric.”
For a closer look into Eric’s health journey, read on…
(VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Opening Up About His Private Health Battle
Eric Dane shared that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in April 2025.
"I have been diagnosed with ALS,” Dane told People at the time. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
Todd Williamson/January Images/Shutterstock
Returning to Set
The Euphoria star made it clear that he wasn’t stepping away from the screen amid his diagnosis, sharing in April 2025 that he was continuing to film the final season of the HBO series.
And Dane, whose Amazon MGM Studios series Countdown debuted over the summer, admitted that acting has kept him “sharp” has he navigates his health battle.
"I feel great when I'm at work," he explained to E! News in June 2025. "Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks, but I feel pretty good. My spirit is always pretty buoyant, so at the end of the day, that's all that matters."
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
Detailing His First Symptoms
Two months after sharing his diagnosis, the Grey’s Anatomy alum spoke candidly about his journey, including the symptoms that led to his diagnosis.
"I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand," Dane told Diane Sawyer in a sit-down on Good Morning America in June 2025. "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, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse."
After nine months of appointments, which involved visiting two hand specialists and two neurologists, Dane was told he had ALS.
"I will never forget those three letters," the father of two explained. "It's on me the second I wake up. It's not a dream."
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
“Sobering" Road Ahead
While sharing how the rare degenerative disease has affected him physically so far, he also detailed where he sees the progression headed.
“My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working," Dane shared during his interview with Sawyer. "I feel like maybe a couple more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering."
Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
A Close-Knit Support System
As Dane goes through this health battle, his wife of over 20 years, Rebecca Gayheart, who filed to dismiss their 2018 divorce in March, has been by his side.
“I call Rebecca. I talk to her every day,” Dane shared during his interview with Sawyer. “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."
According to Gayheart, she and Dane are the “best of friends.”
“We are really close. We are great co-parents,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 star explained to E! News April 9, 2025. “We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well.”
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Prioritizing Family Time
While Dane has been marking milestones with his and Gayheart’s daughters Billie and Georgia, he’s admitted he resents how his ALS is affecting the lives of his family members.
"I'm angry, because my father was taken from me when I was young," the actor, whose father died by suicide when he was a young boy, said during his GMA interview. "And now there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young. At the end of the day, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit, if I can."
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images & VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
Emmys Absence
Dane was set to present at the 2025 Emmys alongside his Grey's Anatomy costar Jesse Williams on Sept. 14 but ended up missing the award show. A few weeks after his absence, Dane shared that he had to skip the show because of a hospital visit.
“ALS is a nasty disease," he said during an interview with The Washington Post published on Oct. 2. "So I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head."
"I was a really upset about it,” Dane added. “But you know, there was nothing I could do about it."
Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
His Hopes for the Future
Dane met with doctors and representatives from the I Am ALS organization in September, 2025, and spoke with California congressman Eric Swalwell about federal funding towards research for the currently incurable neurological disease.
“I wanna ring every bell,” Dane told Swalwell in a TikTok video posted by the politician on Sept. 29. “I have two daughters at home. I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids.”
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