Famous Hollywood actor Eric Dane, known for his role as Mark Sloan in the series 'Grey's Anatomy,' passed away on February 19 after a short but severe battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In his final months, he faced serious financial difficulties.
The diagnosis for the 'Grey's Anatomy' star was made in April 2025 — just 10 months before his death. The disease progressed rapidly: first weakness in his right arm (at the beginning of 2024, Dane attributed it all to fatigue), then complete loss of function in the arm by June 2025, and shortly before his passing — loss of speech. Despite this, Dane actively advocated for research into treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, participated in charity events, appeared in an episode of the series 'Brilliant Minds,' where he played a firefighter with the disease, and spoke openly about the 'horrific' nature of the illness.
In the final months of his life, Eric faced serious financial difficulties due to expensive treatment and loss of ability to work. Here, an unexpected help came from a long-time acquaintance — Johnny Depp. He offered Dane to live for a symbolic fee or for free in one of his homes in Los Angeles — above the famous Sunset Strip.
'Eric had one less worry. Johnny wanted to ease the financial burden,' an insider told Page Six. Depp directly said: 'Pay what you can — or don’t pay at all.'
Dane's family — ex-wife Rebecca Gayheart (they reconciled after a long separation and postponed their divorce), daughters Billie (15 years old) and Georgia (13 years old) — shared that 'Eric passed away bravely, surrounded by loved ones.' During this difficult time for them, they ask to respect their family's privacy.
