The tragic death of a TV star is shining a light on a little-known condition. Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has diedjust 10 months after being diagnosed with the progressive and fatal disease ALS, his loved ones revealed on February 20. He spent much of hisfinal months working with the I AM ALS organisation to raise awareness and funds to find a cure.

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gerhig’s disease, is a form of Motor Neurone Disease. It is a rare condition that progressively kills motor neurons in the brain and spine, the cells that control muscle movement. Over time, patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk and eventually breathe independently.

There is currently no cure for the condition but the 10-month span between Eric’s diagnosis and his death is unusual. Most patients have a prognosis of two to five years from the time of their first symptom while some, like astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, lived for more than a decade after diagnosis.

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The condition progresses differently for each person but their quality of life is increasingly affected following their first symptoms, with treatments mostly focused on slowling the progression and easing ailments like muscle stifness or breathlessness.

An early sign of MND is finding certain tasks increasingly difficult such as climbing stairs, lifting your foot, gripping things or developing muscle twitches, spasms and cramps. As the condition develops, you may also start drooling, have mood or personality changes and struggling to walk or move.

The NHSnotes: “As MND gets worse, you will have difficulty moving and you may need a wheelchair. You may also need a machine called a ventilator to help you breathe and assistive technology to help with speech.”

According to theMND Association, ALS is the most common form of Motor Neurone Disease and starts with tripping over or dropping things as the first signs of muscle weakness and wasting. It can also cause cramps and stiffness in the muscles.

It’s unclear what causes MND, although genes seem to play a role as one in 10 patients have a family history of the condition. According toKing’s College London, around 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any given time.

Eric openly spoke about his struggles with the condition since his diagnosis. In December 2025 he branded the condition “so horrible” when appeared on a virtual panel featuring I AM ALS and Synapticure co-founders for Giving Tuesday.

However, he revealed he’d found some catharsis in his guest role on Brilliant Minds where he portrayed Matthew, a firefighter struggling to tell his wife he had been diagnosed with ALS.

He said according to People: “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."

In January 2026, he was named Advocate of the Year by the ALS Network. He said at the time: “Facing ALS myself, I know the challenges are real and relentless. But together, through advocacy, awareness, and action, we can move closer to a world without this disease.”

Eric is survived by his wife Rebecca Gayheart and their two daughters. Rebecca had filed for divorce in 2018 but dismissed her petition after Eric’s diagnosis. She revealed in December that the actor needed 24-hour medical care and admitted their “love may not be romantic... it’s a familial love.”