Eric Dane spoke about his recent ALS diagnosis in an emotional interview with Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. The “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” actor, 52, was diagnosed with the progressive degenerative disease after nine months of testing in April. Dane explained that the right side of his body has unfortunately stopped working altogether.
“My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working,” he said, noting that his left arm has been getting weaker as well. “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
There is no known cure for ALS, a disease that breaks down nerves and muscles in the body over time, eventually leading to paralysis. Dane noted he started experiencing weakness in his hand a year and a half ago.
“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” Dane told Sawyer. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later, I noticed it got a little worse. So I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist and said, ‘This is way above my pay grade.’”
Despite his struggles, the actor explained that he will continue with his work. Dane is already slated to return for the third season of HBO’s “Euphoria,” slated to air in 2026.
“In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” Dane said. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com