Patrick Dempsey Gets Emotional Talking About Late 'Grey's Anatomy' Costar Eric Dane

After a lengthy battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), revealed in April 2025, Grey's Anatomy star, Eric Dane, has passed away.

Since Dane's passing, his co-star and friend Patrick Dempsey has been open about his grief, as well as the grieving he sees in Eric Dane's fans. The pair played Dr. Derek Shepherd (Dempsey) and Dr. Mark Sloan (Dane) on the show together for over six years.

During an interview with News Talk FM, Dempsey reflected:

"It's very hard when you lose a family member. I lost my father very young, and my mother has passed."

"Now, several friends in the last year, I've lost."

"Eric was so beloved, and I think he would really be so happy to know [that]."

"I know a lot of people reached out to him before his passing, to keep track, but [for him to know] he was so beloved and is deeply missed."

You can watch Patrick Dempsey's tribute here:

Dempsey's thoughts were also shared on Instagram, where fans left emotional tributes.

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

@newstalkfm/Instagram

When Dempsey first learned of Dane's passing, he immediately thought of Dane's family.

"I just woke up this morning, and it was very sad to read the news. It's hard to put into words."

"I feel really so sad for his children."

"I was corresponding with him, we were texting, and so I spoke to him about a week ago, and some friends of ours went in to see him, and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak."

"He was bedridden, and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly."

ALS is a brutal disease that impacts the body's autoimmune system and affects basic functions that we take for granted.

While it's heartbreaking that Eric Dane has passed away, at the very least, we can find comfort in the fact that his suffering has ended.

Dane leaves behind his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, who stayed with him until the end, despite their complicated relationship that nearly resulted in divorce years prior, as well as his two teenage daughters, 15-year-old Billie and 14-year-old Georgia.