Dane played hot-shot plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical drama, beginning on Feb. 19, 2006.

Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane’s death falls on 20th anniversary of his first appearance as McSteamy

Dane played hot-shot plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical drama, beginning on Feb. 19, 2006.

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on February 20, 2026 12:16 a.m. ET

Eric Dane on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Credit:

Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

*Grey's Anatomy* star Eric Dane died on Feb. 19, which just so happened to fall on the 20th anniversary of his very first appearance as Dr. Mark Sloan on the hit show.

Dane died Thursday at age 53, just 10 months after announcing he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

The actor joined the soapy medical drama as Sloan, the hot-shot plastic surgeon also referred to as "McSteamy," in season 2, episode 18, which aired on Feb. 19, 2006. His character's backstory was that he had been close to Patrick Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shepherd — known as "McDreamy" — until he had an affair with Shepherd's wife Addison, played by Kate Walsh.**

Eric Dane as Mark Sloan on 'Grey's Anatomy' season 3. ABC

The actor was upped to series regular the following season, and became a fixture on the Shonda Rhimes-created show, keeping fan hearts aflutter by living up to his steamy moniker, including a very memorable season 3 scene sporting just a towel, *barely*.

The character remained on the still-running show until the season 9 premiere on Sept. 27, 2012, when Mark died from injuries sustained in a plane crash.

Still, Dane made one more appearance, when Ellen Pompeo's Dr. Meredith Grey was in a coma and saw him during a 2021 episode.

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***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.******* Dane previously explained that he had never made a conscious decision to leave the medical drama.

"I think I was let go," the actor told Dax Shepard on the *Armchair Expert* podcast in June 2024, noting that he was struggling with addiction when it happened. "They didn't let me go because of that, although it definitely didn't help. I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on a show, you start to become very expensive for the network. And the network knows that the show is going to do what it's going to do irrespective of who they keep on it. As long as they have their Grey, they're fine."

He also noted that he "wasn't the same guy they had hired. So I had understood when I was let go."

So while "it wasn't ceremoniously like, 'You're fired,' it was just like, 'You're not coming back.'"

Eric Dane with 'Grey's Anatomy' cast members in 2022.

Thomas Cooper/Getty Images

Earlier this month, Pompeo recalled what had transpired between her and her longtime costar after she learned that he'd been diagnosed with ALS, which he revealed publicly in May.

"As soon as I heard about his diagnosis, I texted him, and I said, 'I'm here if you want to speak,'" she said at the ALS Network Champions for Cures & Care Gala, per PEOPLE. "And my phone rang 30 seconds later."

Pompeo was at the event to pay tribute to her former costar, who was being honored with the Advocate of the Year Award, said she told him she would help however she could. And that she loved him.

Dane will next be seen on *Euphoria *season 3.**

- Grey's Anatomy Fandom

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