Grey’s Anatomy heartthrob Eric Dane was spotted in a wheelchair at Toronto Pearson Airport on Thursday, looking frail amid his ongoing battle with ALS.
The 52-year-old actor, who first revealed his devastating diagnosis in April, was helped out of a van and guided through the terminal by an aide.
Dressed casually in a plaid shirt, sweatpants, and a baseball cap, Dane kept his head down, his expression somber.
The sighting comes just weeks after Dane appeared to struggle while speaking to a photographer at the Washington, D.C. airport, who asked, ‘What would you say to your fans who are hoping everything is okay?’
Dane replied softly, ‘Keep the faith, man.’
According to sources close to the actor, the beloved star has been grappling with his own mortality.
Grey’s Anatomy heartthrob Eric Dane made a rare public appearance amid his battle with ALS, spotted in a wheelchair at Toronto Pearson Airport on Thursday
The 52-year-old actor, who first revealed his devastating diagnosis in April, appeared frail
One insider told the Daily Mail: ‘Nobody wants to think about or address their own mortality, but that is exactly what Eric is going through now.
‘He knows his fate and is trying to figure out how he wants to enjoy life, how to be a beacon of hope and help others who are struggling themselves. He also wants to enjoy being with family and friends and actually take this time to live.”
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare and incurable motor neuron disorder that affects around 5,000 Americans each year.
Symptoms often progress rapidly and are difficult to detect in the early stages.
Dane first noticed weakness in his right hand in early 2024, assuming he’d simply ‘been texting too much or my hand was fatigued.’
After months of testing and multiple specialist visits, he received the official diagnosis in April.
By June, he had lost use of his right arm.
While life expectancy for ALS patients typically ranges from three to five years, Dane’s decline has been swift and painful.
Eric was guided through the terminal by an aide
An aide helped Eric out of a van at the airport
According to sources close to the actor, the beloved star has been grappling with his own mortality
Still, those close to him say he’s determined to remain brave in the face of fear.
‘So many people take things for granted, so many people don’t do anything because they are scared,”’the source added.
As a teenager growing up in the Bay Area, Dane was known for his athleticism as much as his charm.
While attending San Mateo High School, he was a standout water polo player who transferred schools to join a more competitive team. ‘I wasn’t necessarily the best, but I was pretty f**ing good,’* he recalled to Dax Shepard during an appearance on Armchair Expert last year.
But this year, a family snorkeling trip turned frightening when Dane realized his body could no longer keep up.
While swimming off a boat with his daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, he suddenly found himself in distress.
‘When I jumped in the ocean that day and realized I couldn’t swim [or] generate enough power to get myself back to the boat, I thought, “Oh, God,”’ he told Diane Sawyer. ‘And then I realized, in that moment: I’m not safe in the water anymore.’
Panicked, he struggled to stay afloat until Georgia noticed he was in trouble and pulled him to safety.
One insider told the Daily Mail: ‘Nobody wants to think about or address their own mortality, but that is exactly what Eric is going through now’
Dane first noticed weakness in his right hand in early 2024, assuming he’d simply ‘been texting too much or my hand was fatigued’
‘I was like breaking down in tears, so I made sure she got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling with the guide,’ Dane said. ‘But I was just heartbroken.’
Through it all, his ex-wife and longtime confidante, Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Rebecca Gayheart, has remained one of his strongest sources of support.
The couple’s story began in 2003 when Gayheart, then fresh from a long-term relationship with producer Brett Ratner and starring in Nip/Tuck, met Dane, who was still climbing the Hollywood ladder after small roles in Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, and Roseanne.
They tied the knot in Las Vegas just ten months later, in 2004.
Their marriage weathered more than a few storms, including a major scandal in 2009 when a private tape featuring the couple and model Kari Ann Peniche was leaked online.
Though the video didn’t depict sex, the trio was seen partying and lounging together in a hot tub. Dane and Gayheart sued Gawker for publishing the footage, later settling out of court in 2010.
Despite the controversy, they moved forward together, welcoming daughter Billie in 2010 and Georgia the following year.
Behind the scenes, though, the actor was quietly battling addiction. He began smoking marijuana as a teen and got sober for the first time at 26.
Erica gained fame as Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr Mark Sloan
But during his Grey’s Anatomy years, the pressure of fame and a relapse during the 2007 Writer’s Guild strike sent him spiraling.
He eventually entered rehab in 2011 for painkiller addiction, admitting, ‘If you take the whole eight years I was on Grey’s Anatomy, I was f**** up longer than I was sober and that was when things started going sideways for me.’*
Dane said he understood when creator Shonda Rhimes let him go, explaining, ‘I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I understood when I was let go.’
He bounced back with a starring role in The Last Ship, though he later took a break in 2017 to seek treatment for depression.
By 2018, his marriage to Gayheart had run its course, and she filed for divorce after 14 years together.
In a joint statement, they said ending their marriage was ‘the best decision’ for their family and pledged to remain close as co-parents.
They stayed true to their word, continuing to raise their daughters together in Los Angeles.
‘There’s a new normal for me and my family,’ Gayheart said a year after their split. ‘It hasn’t been easy. But I think what’s exciting is what’s ahead… my kids are happy and healthy.’
Dane’s ALS announcement came shortly after the star and his estranged wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart , 54, decided to call off their divorce after seven years apart ; pictured in June 2017 with their daughters Bille and Georgia
When Dane received his ALS diagnosis, Gayheart reportedly halted the divorce process and recommitted to being by his side.
‘We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great co-parents,’ she told E! on the eve of his announcement. ‘We really figured out the formula to staying a family… I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well.’
She added, ‘I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure… It was a huge success… We had two beautiful kids, so I think that’s a successful relationship.’
According to a source, the pair’s renewed bond has been transformative.
‘Rebecca made the decision to not hold any grudges once Eric was diagnosed and their co-parenting relationship has provided them with a friendship that is everything Eric needs right now,’ the insider said.
‘She is there for him in every sense of the word… they are all about the same goal and that is to give their kids the best life possible.’
Even as his health has declined, Dane has refused to let ALS define him.
Just days after announcing his diagnosis, he returned to work on season three of Euphoria, this time sharing scenes with longtime friend Sharon Stone.
‘Eric and I have been friends for a long time,’ Stone told Entertainment Tonight. ‘I actually was like his support staff when he was trying to get the job on Euphoria… he really wanted that job.’
Despite his limitations, Dane remains committed to his craft. ‘I am ready and willing to do just about anything, but I have limitations that I understand will preclude me from playing certain roles,’ he said in June. ‘I’m working on Euphoria. I finished Countdown. As far as that goes, I’m pretty capable.’
Though recent appearances suggest his condition has worsened, Dane has made one thing clear: he’s not giving up.
‘I’m very hopeful,’ he told Sawyer. ‘I don’t think this is the end of my story. In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end of me.’