Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has revealed he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).
Speaking to People, the 52-year-old US actor said he was “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,” he added, while asking for privacy for himself and his family.
Dane stars as the Jacobs family patriarch Cal Jacobs on hit HBO teen drama show Euphoria, which is due to begin production on season three on Monday.
Before that, he was perhaps best known as Dr Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy from 2006.
He also played Jason Dean in fantasy drama series Charmed, and Captain Tom Chandler in action drama show The Last Ship, while appearing in films such as Marley & Me, Valentine’s Day and Burlesque.
He is married to fellow actress and model Rebecca Gayheart, and the couple have two children.
According to the NHS, MND “encompasses several different conditions whose common feature is the premature degeneration of motor nerves (known as neurons or sometimes neurones)”.
It says nearly 90% of patients with MND have the mixed ALS form of the disease.
- ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles
- Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech
- The disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, causing patients to slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk and breathe independently
- There is no cure for ALS, and, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, people usually live for three to five years after diagnosis although some can live for decades
