Eric Dane’s Grey’s Anatomy co-stars lead tributes after his death at 53

“I just woke up this morning and it was very sad to read the news. It’s hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children,” Patrick, who played Dr. Derek Shepherd, said on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio. 

“I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak. He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.

“He was the funniest man – he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it. He had a great sense of humour.”

He continued: “He was easy to work with, we got along instantly. First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant.

“He’s wickedly intelligent and I’m always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people’s lives, and the real loss is for us who don’t have them anymore.

“He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it’s our last day.”

Patrick added: “It’s something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have.”

Kim Raver, who starred alongside Eric as Dr. Teddy Altman, shared two photos on Instagram: one of her and Eric on set and another of the two of them with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart.

She wrote: “Eric was a light. You’d see it effortlessly shine from him on the set of Grey’s as well as when he was with Rebecca and the girls. During filming he’d get this twinkle in his eye and with a mischievous look, he would deliver with perfect comedic timing, a line of dialogue that would floor you! You will be missed. My love and thoughts go out to Rebecca and their girls. We love you.”

Kevin McKidd, who played Dr. Owen Hunt, shared a photo of Eric on Grey’s Anatomy on his Instagram story, with the caption: “Rest in Peace buddy.”

Sarah Drew, who played Dr. April Kepner, also took to her Instagram Story to share a photo of Eric and wrote: “Rest in peace.”

Nina Dobrev, who starred with Eric in 2022’s Redeeming Love, wrote on her Instagram Stories: “Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Eric. He was warm, generous, prepared, and so passionate about what he did. He led with kindness and made everyone on our set feel seen. ALS is a cruel and unforgiving disease. May his memory inspire more research, awareness, and progress toward a cure. He will be deeply missed. Sending love and heartfelt condolences to his family.”

Ashton Kutcher, who shared the screen with Eric in the 2010 rom-com film Valentine’s Day, posted on X: “The Franklin strip fanatics fantasy football league will miss Mr. Eric Dane. We know you’ll be watching from the booth. Miss you, buddy. Let’s keep fighting the fight to solve ALS.”