Grey's Anatomy Alum Eric Dane Confirms Tragic, Life-Changing Health Diagnosis

Over the years, "Grey's Anatomy" fans have often found themselves asking, "Whatever happened to Eric Dane?" They finally got a heartbreaking answer to the question in April 2025 when Dane shared a health update with People. "I have been diagnosed with ALS," Dane stated. "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter." Further, he made it clear that he wasn't letting his life-changing diagnosis interfere with his career and would return to the sets of "Euphoria" the following week as scheduled. 

Dane concluded the statement by requesting fans to request his privacy as he dealt with the diagnosis with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters. As Cleveland Clinic notes, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig's disease is a condition that occurs when nerve cells stop communicating properly with muscles. Over time, a person diagnosed with the disease may lose control over their movement and speech and experience breathing problems. 

While the condition doesn't currently have a cure, therapy and medication can help people better manage the symptoms and slow the progression. It's safe to say that Dane's former "Grey's Anatomy" castmates are also heartbroken about the diagnosis, especially since he apparently stayed in touch with them after his exit from the show in 2012. In December 2022, Dane was spotted giving Ellen Pompeo a tight hug after they grabbed dinner. Back in 2021, Pompeo warmed fans' hearts by sharing an Instagram Story of her having a meal with Dane and Justin Chambers, who plays Alex Karev. 

Initially, we believed that the real reason Eric Dane left "Grey's Anatomy" was to pursue an acting gig on "The Last Ship," a show that Michael Bay was producing. However, during a June 2024 appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, Dane revealed that he was most likely fired from the show. He offered his perspective on why the network may not have wanted him to continue working on the medical drama, saying, "I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on a show, you start to become very expensive for the network" (via Deadline).

Later, Dane also shared, "It wasn't ceremoniously like, 'You're fired,' it was just like, 'You're not coming back.'" However, everything worked out for Dane on a professional level since he starred in all four seasons of "The Last Ship" and bagged a supporting role in "Euphoria" in 2019. The actor's personal life has been through several ups and downs through the years, too. In 2018, Rebecca Gayheart filed court documents to end their 14-year marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. 

However, over a year later, the former spouses didn't appear to have made any significant strides in their divorce proceedings and even received a court warning to essentially get a move on if they didn't want their filing to be dismissed. Dane certainly seemed to have moved on by February 2025 since he was photographed happily strolling around Los Angeles with his rumored girlfriend, Priya Jain. However, just a month later, People reported that Gayheart requested a dismissal of her divorce filing.