Eric Dane passed away on Feb. 19 following a courageous fight with ALS, the neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His representative released a statement announcing the news: “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon. He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”

Dane went public with his ALS diagnosis in 2025. Fans of the long-running ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, where he starred as the charismatic Dr. Mark Sloan from 2006 to 2012, flooded social media with tributes. Known as “McSteamy” for his good looks and cocky charm inside Seattle Grace Hospital, Sloan’s plastic surgery skills and turbulent romances defined much of Dane’s career.

Sloan’s debut packed immediate drama. In Season 2, Episode 18, which aired Feb. 19, 2006—exactly 20 years before Dane’s death—the surgeon struts into Seattle Grace. He flirts boldly with Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. That sparks Dr. Derek Shepherd, Meredith’s boyfriend and Sloan’s ex-best friend, to punch him unconscious.

His romance with Lexie Grey, portrayed by Chyler Leigh, produced some of the show’s steamiest scenes. Season 5, Episode 10 captures their tension boiling over. After a surgery restores a patient’s speech, Lexie shows up at Sloan’s hotel room. “Teach me,” she says. He kisses her, launching their affair.

Things got messy fast. In Season 5, Episode 13, a romp in an on-call room leaves Sloan injured. Lexie confesses to Dr. Callie Torres, “I broke his bone.” Later, she comforts him at his bedside, stroking his hair in a tender moment amid the chaos.

Sloan faced fatherhood unexpectedly in Season 6, Episode 11. His long-lost daughter, Sloan Riley, arrives pregnant and needing care. He tells her, “I don’t know anything about being a dad. You don’t know anything about being a mom. Maybe we could figure it all out together.” The plot strained his bond with Lexie but paved the way for his daughter Sofia with Callie Torres and Dr. Arizona Robbins.

The Season 7, Episode 18 musical episode thrust Sloan into high stakes. After a car crash involving Torres and Robbins, doctors race to save Torres and her unborn child—Sloan’s baby. Despite clashing with Robbins, Sloan relents for Sofia’s sake. The infant is born amid the singing and surgery.

Sloan’s bromance with Dr. Jackson Avery shone in Season 8, Episode 4. Jealous that Shepherd might lure Avery to neurosurgery, Sloan crashes a work site at Shepherd’s home. “Derek, you’re trying to steal my guy,” he snaps. “He’s my guy. Avery, get in the car.”

Sloan’s arc ended tragically in Season 9, Episode 2 after a plane crash. In his final surge of energy, he shares wisdom on love with Lexie dying nearby: “If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there.”

Dane’s Sloan returned in a surreal twist during Season 17, Episode 10. Meredith, hallucinating on a COVID-19 dream beach, spots him with Lexie. “So you two are together?” she asks. “On your beach, looks like we are,” he replies.

Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has not yet commented publicly. Dane also starred as Cal Jacobs in Euphoria. His death leaves fans reflecting on McSteamy’s blend of swagger, vulnerability, and heartbreak that captivated viewers for six seasons.