One of the most popular stars from “Grey’s Anatomy” has sadly passed away. Eric Dane died at the age of 53 on February 19 according to reports, following his diagnosis last year with ALS.
The actor portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan in the medical drama for some 15 years across more than 130 episodes and was affectionately known as McSteamy by fans of the show. Having such a long history with the show, it shouldn’t be a surprise that many of his fellow co-stars from “Grey’s Anatomy” have come out to pay tribute to Dane following his tragic death.
Patrick Dempsey
During an appearance on Virgin Radio in the United Kingdom, Patrick Dempsey told host Chris Evans, “I just woke up this morning and it was very sad to read the news. It’s hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children.”
“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.”
“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,” Dempsey 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.”
“We hit it off because it was never really any competition,” he added. “There was just this wonderful mutual respect, 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.”
“He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it’s our last day,” the actor continued. “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 of other people to be of service to be kind, to be loving.”
Kevin McKidd
GettyDr. Owen Hunt actor Kevin McKidd also paid tribute to his former co-star, sharing a story to his Instagram account that simply read “Rest in Peace buddy.”
Kim Raver
Kim Raver stars in “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Teddy Altman and appeared alongside Dane many times. She posted a touching tribute on Instagram with several photos of the pair together.
She wrote, “Eric was a light. You’d see it effortlessly shine from him on the set of Grey’s as well as when he was with Rebecca and the girls. During filming he’d get this twinkle in his eye and with a mischievous look, he would deliver with perfect comedic timing, a line of dialogue that would floor you! You will be missed. My love and thoughts go out to Rebecca and their girls. We love you.”
Sarah Drew
GettySarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner in the medical drama, also shared a story on her Instagram account. Sharing a picture of Dane, she wrote, “Rest in Peace” in addition to several crying emoji.
