“Gray’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane’s demise falls on twentieth anniversary of his first look as McSteamy

Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane died on Feb. 19, which simply so occurred to fall on the twentieth anniversary of his very first look as Dr. Mark Sloan on the hit present.

Dane died Thursday at age 53, simply 10 months after saying he had been recognized with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gehrig's Illness.

The actor joined the soapy medical drama as Sloan, the hot-shot plastic surgeon additionally known as "McSteamy," in season 2, episode 18, which aired on Feb. 19, 2006. His character's backstory was that he had been near Patrick Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shepherd — generally known as "McDreamy" — till he had an affair with Shepherd's spouse Addison, performed by Kate Walsh.

The actor was upped to sequence common the next season, and have become a fixture on the Shonda Rhimes-created present, conserving fan hearts aflutter by dwelling as much as his steamy moniker, together with a really memorable season 3 scene sporting only a towel, barely.

The character remained on the still-running present till the season 9 premiere on Sept. 27, 2012, when Mark died from accidents sustained in a aircraft crash.

Nonetheless, Dane made yet another look, when Ellen Pompeo's Dr. Meredith Gray was in a coma and noticed him throughout a 2021 episode.

Celebrity deaths 2026: Remembering the stars who died this year Eric Dane explains why he missed 'Grey's Anatomy' reunion at Emmys: 'ALS is a nasty disease'

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Dane beforehand defined that he had by no means made a aware determination to go away the medical drama.

"I feel I used to be let go," the actor instructed Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast in June 2024, noting that he was battling habit when it occurred. "They didn't let me go due to that, though it undoubtedly didn't assist. I used to be beginning to change into, as most of those actors who’ve spent important time on a present, you begin to change into very costly for the community. And the community is aware of that the present goes to do what it's going to do regardless of who they carry on it. So long as they’ve their Gray, they're nice."

He additionally famous that he "wasn't the identical man they’d employed. So I had understood once I was let go."

So whereas "it wasn't ceremoniously like, 'You're fired,' it was identical to, 'You're not coming again.'"

Earlier this month, Pompeo recalled what had transpired between her and her longtime costar after she discovered that he'd been recognized with ALS, which he revealed publicly in Might.

"As quickly as I heard about his prognosis, I texted him, and I mentioned, 'I'm right here if you wish to converse,'" she mentioned on the ALS Community Champions for Cures & Care Gala, per PEOPLE. "And my telephone rang 30 seconds later."

Pompeo was on the occasion to pay tribute to her former costar, who was being honored with the Advocate of the 12 months Award, mentioned she instructed him she would assist nonetheless she may. And that she cherished him.

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