Eric Dane shows brutal reality of ALS in recent role, dying just 10 months after diagnosis

After receiving his ALS diagnosis earlier last year, Eric Dane showed the harsh reality of the disease in a recent Brilliant Minds appearance, just two months before he died at 53.

Eric Dane, an actor best known for his roles as Dr Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs in Euphoria, sadly passed away at just 53, after a 10-month battle with ALS. The actor used one of his final roles to bring awareness to the disease, which changed his life in less than a year.

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In a November Brilliant Minds episode, Eric played a war veteran fighting ALS in a heart-wrenchingly grounded depiction of the disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that destroys neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The mortality rate is extremely high, with 34% of people dying within a year of diagnosis.

Talking to NBC Insider about the role’s significance, Brilliant Minds showrunner Michael Grassi highlighted the character’s importance.

“There’s no right or wrong way, there’s no rulebook on how to do it, and, for the Thanksgiving episode, we just thought it would be interesting to see a family work through something that’s not easy,” he said.

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He continued: “We love this idea of somebody who is a firefighter who has dedicated his entire life to helping others and in service, and that’s who he is, that’s his whole sense of self. And then, later in life, to have to accept help after helping people your entire life, is not easy for somebody like Matthew… It’s not new that Matthew isn’t letting people in; it’s been a lifelong struggle for him to let people help him. He’s stubborn, and I love that about his character.”

In a Good Morning America interview last May, Eric was extremely vulnerable about his feelings on his ALS diagnosis.

“I don’t think this is the end of my story,” Eric said. “I don’t feel like this is the end of me. I wake up every day, and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening.”

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