Summary:
• Sobering Diagnosis: The Euphoria star reveals he’s lost full use of his right arm and expects further decline.
• Family First: Dane gets emotional over his daughters and ex-wife, who remains his strongest supporter.
• Still Showing Up: Despite ALS, he plans to keep working and return to the screen later this month.
The latest news from the entertainment world is that Eric Dane, best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, opened up publicly for the first time about his battle with ALS, a progressive and currently incurable neurological disease. In a heartfelt June 16 interview on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, the 51-year-old actor disclosed that he has already lost complete use of his right arm and fears the same fate for his left side within months.
“My left side is functioning; my right side has completely stopped working,” Dane shared. “I feel like maybe a couple more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
Diagnosed in April after nearly a year of testing and specialist visits, Dane described how the disease first manifested as fatigue in his left hand, a sign that quickly escalated. The news has understandably shaken him, particularly because of his deep connection to his family. Reflecting on his relationship with his ex-wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, Dane described her as his “biggest champion” and most reliable source of support through the ordeal. The pair share two daughters, now 15 and 13 years old.
“I’m angry because my father was taken from me when I was young,” Dane said, referencing his father’s suicide when he was just 7. “Now, there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls when they’re very young.”
Still, Dane isn’t retreating from life. Despite the physical toll, he plans to continue working. He confirmed he’ll return for Euphoria season three and will star in Countdown, a new Amazon Prime series premiering June 25. He acknowledges that time is not on his side; he may soon lose the use of his legs, but his determination remains firm.
A former competitive swimmer, Dane became emotional recalling a snorkeling trip with one of his daughters, where he realized he no longer had the strength to return to the boat. “She had to drag me back,” he said, breaking down as he recounted the moment he understood how much ALS was already changing his life.
While there is no cure for ALS, Dane remains defiant in spirit. “In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” he told Sawyer. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”