Eric Dane - best known for Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria — has bravely opened up about his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The actor - perhaps best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria - revealed in a powerful interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America about life following his diagnosis.
It took nine months to get the “sobering” truth: ALS
After nine months of doctor visits and testing, Dane finally got his diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare and progressive neurological disease that robs the body of its ability to move, talk, eat, and breathe.
Since then, his condition has advanced to the point where only his left arm still works.
“I have one functioning arm. My dominant side. My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working,” he explained.
“I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won't have my left hand either. It's sobering.”
And he knows what’s coming next. When Sawyer asked if his “left arm is fine,” Dane replied bluntly: “No, it's going,”
He added that he's especially scared about losing the use of his legs, after a terrifying incident at sea with his daughter.
A family outing turned dangerous — and eye-opening
The actor recalled a harrowing moment from a recent trip when he jumped into the ocean but realized his body couldn’t carry him back.
“When I jumped in the ocean that day and realized I couldn't swim [or] generate enough power to get myself back to the boat, I thought, 'Oh, God,'” the actor revealed. “And then I realized in that moment I'm not safe in the water anymore.”
He admitted the ordeal left him “breaking down in tears” and “heartbroken".
"I'm angry because my father was taken from me when I was young, and now there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young," Dane said.
Dane’s father died by suicide when the actor was just seven years old. Now, Dane fears his ALS diagnosis is taking him away from daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, whom he shares with wife and actress Rebecca Gayheart.
Dane's First Symptom
Dane also revealed that the first warning sign of his ALS diagnosis came in the most unexpected way: what felt like ordinary hand fatigue.
“I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand, and I didn't really think anything of it at the time,” the 52-year-old said.
“I thought maybe I had been texting too much, or my hand was fatigued. But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse.”
That minor symptom spiraled into a desperate search for answers. Dane says he saw not one, but two hand specialists — who then passed him along to two neurologists. The last one finally told him: “This is way above my pay grade.”
“I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening,” he told Sawyer. “It’s not a dream.”
Despite everything, he says he refuses to believe this is the end, saying: “I don’t think this is the end of my story."
Still showing up on set — and still fighting
Despite his diagnosis, Dane hasn’t walked away from his career. In fact, he went back to filming Euphoria just four days after revealing the diagnosis publicly in April.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE on April 10. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time," the actor added.
He’s also signed on for Countdown, an upcoming Prime Video series alongside Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho, marking his first new project since the announcement.