Eric Dane made heartbreaking statement just one week before his death age 53
He had said he was hoping to 'move the needle'
Eric Dane spoke about his ALS diagnosis before his death at the age of 53.
The Grey’s Anatomy star died after his diagnosis, his family confirmed in a statement where they paid tribute to him as a ‘passionate advocate for awareness and research’ into the degenerative disease.
They said the actor would be ‘deeply missed’ and ‘lovingly remembered always’, saying he had been ‘determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight’.
Before he died the actor spoke to Time100 about his work raising awareness of ALS including his work to raise funds and his appearance on the NBC show Brilliant Minds as a patient with ALS, with the interview published last week.
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He said: “I'm trying to save my life, and if my actions can move the needle forward for myself and countless others, I'm satisfied.”
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative disease which has no cure and weakens a person’s muscles until they can no longer move independently.
Eventually a person can no longer eat or breathe without assistance, and Dane had revealed his diagnosis in April last year.
Someone diagnosed with ALS typically lives for between two and five years after their diagnosis, and it is a terminal condition.
The actor had joined the board of the group Target ALS and helped them beat their fundraising goals of amassing half a million dollars, while he also launched the fundraiser I AM ALS hoping to secure a billion dollars in federal funding to go towards research into the disease.
Speaking last year about his efforts to raise money and awareness for the disease, he said: "It's imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can because I don't feel like my life is about me anymore.
"I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day, I don't think anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my bedroom, crawled under the sheets, and spent the next two weeks crying.
"And I was a little bit pleasantly surprised when I realized that I wasn't built like that, because I thought for sure that was gonna be me."
He also told Good Morning America last year that his diagnosis had made him ‘angry’ and he had lost the use of his right arm, while he was concerned that he would also lose the use of his left as well.
In January 2026 he had been scheduled to appear at an event where he would have been presented with an accolade celebrating his work helping research into ALS, but he had not been able to attend as he said ‘the physical realities of ALS’ had stopped him.
Joe Harker