November 04, 2026
Eddy Chen/HBO
Actor Eric Dane, who starred in 'Euphoria' and 'Grey's Anatomy', became an advocate for ALS before dying of the disease. His posthumous memoir came out this week.
Actor Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloane on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and the closeted father on HBO's "Euphoria," described in his posthumous memoir his confusing journey to an ALS diagnosis.
By the time Dane, 53, died on Feb. 19 — less than one year from being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — he had become advocate for the disease of the central nervous system, which ultimately causes the loss of the ability to walk, talk and breathe.
Dane wrote in his new memoir, "My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments," published Tuesday, about how doctors initially thought he had some kind of neuropathy that caused the loss of the use of his right hand. In November 2024, a neurologist gave Dane the definitive diagnosis of ALS.
"I wake up every morning, and I'm immediately reminded that this is real — this illness, this challenge and that's exactly why I'm writing this book," Dane said in a statement last December about his decision to write the memoir. "I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart. If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling."
"My Book of Days" also chronicles Dane's battle with addiction and his early acting career with roles in the 1990s in "Saved by the Bell," "The Wonder Years" and "Roseanne." Dane's breakout role was as Dr. Mark Sloane, a womanizing plastic surgeon on "Grey's Anatomy." Dane also won acclaim for his role as Cal Jacobs, the football player's father in "Euphoria."
Before his death, Dane joined the organization, I Am ALS, to advocate for more research funding toward the disease.
ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease after the Yankees player who had it, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes the loss of muscle control. As motor neurons that control communication between the brain, spinal cord and muscles die, people with ALS lose the ability to move, talk, eat and breathe, the ALS Association says.
Symptoms include twitching, weakness in the legs and trouble walking, tripping and falling, slurred speech and changes in thinking or behavior, the Mayo Clinic says.
The cause of ALS is still unknown. Only about 10% of cases are genetic.
The disease is most commonly diagnosed in people ages 60-80 and is slightly more common in men before 65, the Mayo Clinic says.
Seven medications are available for treating ALS symptoms, but there is no cure for the disease. Life expectancy is about two to five years after diagnosis, the ALS Association says.
