Following Eric Dane’s tragic passing at the age of 53 following his battle with ALS, many stars who worked with the beloved actor have come forward, sharing heartfelt tributes. That includes Dane’s former “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Patrick Dempsey, who also provided an inside look at his final days.
Dempsey revealed that the two were in touch up until Dane’s final days during an appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Friday, Feb. 20.
“I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago, and some friends of ours went in to see him, and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak,” Dempsey said. “He was bedridden, and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.”
Dempsey also took a moment to praise Dane for all he’s done in bringing awareness to ALS.
“He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease in those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it’s our last day,” he added. “It’s something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have… spend time with our families, do things that are better, that benefit other people.”
Patrick Dempsey Recalls What It Was Like Working With Eric Dane on Set of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
During the appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Friday, Feb. 20, Dempsey also spoke about what it was like to work with Dane for many years.
“He was the funniest man – he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it,” he said. “He had a great sense of humor. He was easy to work with, we got along instantly. First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant.”
“There was just this wonderful mutual respect,” Dempsey continued. “He’s wickedly intelligent and I’m always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people’s lives and the real loss is for us who don’t have them anymore.”
Eric Dane Passed Away On The 20th Anniversary Of His First ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Appearance
Dane passed away on the 20th anniversary of his first appearance as Dr. Mark Sloan in the hit show “Grey’s Anatomy.” He portrayed Sloan for seven seasons, earning the nickname “McSteamy.”
