Eric Dane has been diagnosed with ALS.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum, 52, said in a statement to People on Thursday, April 10. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
Dane shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart. In addition to expressing his gratitude for his loved ones, Dane also shared his appreciation for his work on Euphoria, which will start filming for season three following its extended hiatus.
“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,” the statement continued. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The condition, which is also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, per the Mayo Clinic. It causes loss of muscle control and gets worse over time. There is no cure.
The news of Dane’s condition comes nearly one month after Gayheart, 53, filed to dismiss her divorce from the actor. Dane and Gayheart tied the knot in 2004. In 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after 14 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
While Gayheart and Dane did not reach a divorce settlement within that seven-year span, the pair have put their main focus on being amicable coparents for their kids.
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One day before news broke about Dane’s condition, Gayheart addressed where the pair stood after calling off the divorce.
“We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,” she told E! News on Wednesday, April 9. “We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well.”
Despite their ups and downs, Gayheart applauded what she and Dane have accomplished over the years.
“I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It’s just a season. It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success,” she continued. “We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids so I think that’s a successful relationship, and that’s how we look at it.”
