ALS-stricken Eric Dane was seen in a wheelchair in Washington, DC this week as an insider gave a devastating insight into the actor’s battle with the terminal disease.
The acclaimed actor, 52, who first revealed he had been diagnosed with the incurable neurological condition in April this year, looked frail as he was pushed out of the airport by an aide.
The decline in father-of-two Dane’s condition comes just three months after the Grey’s Anatomy star previously revealed he was ‘worried about my legs.’
The actor spoke in a gruff voice and appeared to have trouble articulating his words when he was asked by a photographer: ‘What would you say to your fans who are hoping everything is okay?’
Dane responded: ‘Keep the faith, man.’
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘This diagnosis has been devastating and as much as Eric has leaned on his Jewish faith to get through it all, it has been his family and friends that have really stepped up and have made him feel loved.
ALS-stricken Eric Dane was seen in a wheelchair in Washington, DC this week as an insider revealed a devastating insight into the actor’s battle with the terminal disease
Dane is best known for his heartthrob role as Dr. Mark Sloan, also known as McSteamy, on Grey’s Anatomy
‘Because all through this, it just keeps getting worse and is very sad, but Eric is trying to put on as much of a brave face as possible because he wants to enjoy what he has now because he now knows with his full heart that tomorrow isn’t promised.
‘He wants to live life and he doesn’t want people grieving him or for him while he is going through this terrible disease, he just wants the people in his life to be present and as happy as they can be, he wants to always surround himself with positivity, that is a major thing that is driving him nowadays.’
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Eric Dane for comment and has yet to hear back.
The actor has spoken candidly about the devastating effects the sudden onset of ALS has wrought on his body, revealing in June that he had only ‘one functioning arm.’
He said then: ‘My dominant side. My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working.
‘It’s going. I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.’
While he was at that point still able to walk, Dane said he feared losing his mobility in the future.
Dane was seen walking just weeks ago on September 16.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a rare and incurable neurological condition that progressively weakens muscles and affects physical function.
The acclaimed actor, 52, who first revealed he had been diagnosed with the incurable neurological condition in April, looked frail as he was pushed out of an airport by an aide
The actor spoke in a gruff voice and appeared to have trouble articulating his words as he was asked by a photographer: ‘What would you say to your fans who are hoping everything is okay?’
Dane responded: ‘Keep the faith man’
Dane is pictured in April 2022 three years before revealing his diagnosis
Dane’s ALS announcement came shortly after the star and his estranged wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart , 54, decided to call off their divorce after seven years apart ; pictured in June 2017 with their daughters
The condition is widely known in the US as Lou Gehrig’s disease following the legendary baseball player’s death in 1941 at just 37. ALS has since claimed other high-profile victims too.
Actress Sandra Bullock’s longtime partner, Bryan Randall, passed away in 2023 after quietly battling the disease for three years.
SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg also succumbed to ALS in 2018, just a year after revealing his diagnosis.
Famed physicist Stephen Hawking, one of the most well-known individuals to live with ALS, defied the odds by surviving more than 50 years with the condition before his death at age 76 in 2018.
In February, music icon Roberta Flack — known for classics like Killing Me Softly With His Song — died at 88 after revealing in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with ALS.
Dane’s condition showed how much the disease had progressed in a matter of months, three months after the Grey’s Anatomy star previously revealed he was ‘worried about my legs’
The acclaimed actor, 52, who first revealed his battle with the incurable neurological condition in April, looked frail as he was pushed out of an airport by an aide
The actor has spoken candidly about the devastating effects ALS has wrought on his body, revealing in June that he had only ‘one functioning arm’
Dane’s ALS announcement came shortly after the star and his estranged wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, 54, decided to call off their divorce after seven years apart.
The pair share two daughters — Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.
Dane released a statement about his condition at the time, expressing gratitude for the strong support system he has in place.
‘I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,’ he said.
‘I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week.
‘I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.’
Dane announced his diagnosis one day after Gayheart said they were ‘best of friends,’ adding: ‘We are really close. We are great co-parents.’
She explained that she and Dane ‘really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well,’ via E! News
‘I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It’s just a season. It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success. We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids so I think that’s a successful relationship, and that’s how we look at it.’
The pair tied the knot in 2004, two years before he landed his fan favorite role as Dr. Mark Sloan aka ‘McSteamy’ on Grey’s Anatomy.
