Grey’s Anatomy is still reeling from the loss of one its own. Eric Dane, who famously played plastic surgeon Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on the long-running ABC medical drama, died Feb. 19, less than a year after publicly disclosing his battle with ALS. He was 53.
In the first episode since Dane’s passing that aired on Thursday night, the cast and creative team behind Grey’s paid tribute to the actor with a 60-second montage. Set to Tommee Profitt and Fleurie’s cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” which was also used in an emotional montage for the show’s milestone 400th episode in 2022, the tribute included a collection of some of Mark Sloan’s most iconic moments and one-liners.
Dane was first introduced as a guest star in the season two episode titled “Yesterday,” as the estranged best friend of neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) who had an affair with Derek’s neonatal surgeon wife, Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). After becoming a series regular the following season, Dane remained a steadfast presence on the medical drama until the season nine premiere when Mark, along with his primary love interest Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), died of injuries sustained in a plane crash in the season eight finale. Mark and Lexie’s presence, however, has remained on the show, with Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital being renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in the characters’ memory.
Dane reprised the role once more in the show’s 17th season, when protagonist Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) reunited with Mark and Lexie — among many other dearly departed cast members — in a series of dream beach sequences.
Here are the moments that were included in the tribute to Dane’s legacy on Grey’s:
- Mark’s iconic entrance in season three, where he comes out of a hotel bathroom donning only a towel and surrounded by steam after a shower. Mark walks out to find a fully dressed Derek sitting next to Addison in a bath robe, as the couple reflect on the end of their marriage. “Oh, this is awkward,” Mark says in the understatement of the century.
- “We’re the dirty mistresses,” Mark says to Meredith in his first guest appearance in season two. Meredith famously slept with Derek before the start of her intern year — all without realizing until the end of season one that he was still married to Addison. Mark and Meredith had more in common than they realized. And who could forget Meredith’s three rules for the “dirty mistresses club”?
- “I bet you wish you’d taken the stairs right about now,” Mark whispers in Derek’s ear as they are surrounded by three of Derek’s love interests in one elevator: Meredith, Addison and a nurse named Rose.
- “The Plastics Posse” was the name of the plastic surgery team formed by Mark and his protégé, Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams). “Kicking surgical ass and taking names” was their tag line.
- Mark’s close relationships with his friend-with-benefits-turned-baby-mama, orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez), and Callie’s ex-wife Arizona (Jessica Capshaw). Mark walked Callie down the aisle at her wedding to Arizona, and the three of them raised a daughter named Sofia together until Mark’s death. (Mark also showed Callie “the Sloan method” when she was first navigating the prospect of sleeping with another woman.)
- “If you love someone, you tell them, even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll burn your life to the ground, you say it and you say it loud.” Mark tells Jackson on his death bed. That is the lesson Mark learned the hard way with Lexie, who was truly the love of his life.
Eric Dane on Grey’s Anatomy in 2012.
ABC
In the wake of Dane’s death, his former Grey’s colleagues took to social media in droves to pay tribute to him. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on behalf of her production company Shondaland, series creator Shonda Rhimes called Dane “a gifted actor whose portrayal of Dr. Mark Sloan left an indelible mark on the series and on audiences around the world.”
“We are grateful for the artistry, spirit, friendship and humanity he shared with us for so many years,” Rhimes continued. “Our hearts are with his family, loved ones, and all who were touched by his work.”
While doing press in the U.K. for his new Fox series Memory of a Killer, Dempsey revealed that he had been in touch with Dane about a week before his passing. Dane was actually supposed to play Dempsey’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted brother in the series before the rapid decline of Dane’s own health.
“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 told The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK.
“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,” Dempsey continued. “He had a great sense of humour. 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. We hit it off because it was never really any competition. There was just this wonderful mutual respect, 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.”
Walsh, who recently revealed that she had reached out to Dane to send her “love and support and strength,” wrote on Instagram that she was “at a loss for words to try to express the sadness around Eric’s passing.”
“I literally remember my very first scene with Eric…an elevator scene at Seattle Greys. So, so long ago. I believe it was his first scene on the show too and he was nervous,” she wrote in part. “He was so handsome and I thought ‘but can this guy act?’ and of course he could, and did, and the rest is history.”
Walsh added, “One of the things I loved about Eric was his sensitivity and vulnerability, (and intelligence, of course) but he had the gravitas & old soul that made his work magnetic and made him a great friend off set. In those early days of Grey’s, as with most network tv shows, we spent more time with each other than with anyone else and so we became a family of sorts and Eric was such a source of support and love. ALS is an awful disease & too many people have lost loved ones to it. I know it was Eric’s mission to help find a cure.”
Leigh issued a statement last week to E! News, writing that “the last 48 hours” since learning of Dane’s passing “have been devastating.”
“I never thought I would be using the term ‘had or was,’ but here we are. And I hate it,” she said. “Eric had a heart of gold. His humor and, especially, his laugh was infectious. He was a deeply intelligent man who could carry a philosophical conversation for hours even while we were on set. He was an amazing father and loved his girls FIERCELY. Incredibly passionate about his work and the causes he kept close to his heart. The Universe is undoubtedly holding Eric now, just as I will continue to do within my heart forever.”
Capshaw paid tribute to the beloved relationship between Dane’s character and her pediatric and fetal surgeon Arizona Robbins, who were united by their love of Callie. “For five seasons, Arizona and Mark shared witty banter, hard truths, big laughs (and cries), and so much of their hearts with one another. Beneath that confident charm lived a unique softness and a fierce love for his people that was rare and that only Eric could have brought to that character,” she wrote on Instagram. “Eric also had that same fierce and deep love for his family and my heart is with them during this time.”
Ramírez, who chose to reactivate their own Instagram account to pay tribute to Dane, commented three emojis — a broken heart, a candle and a dove — under Capshaw’s post. Ramírez then reposted a video from Alexandra Billings, in which Billings recalled her experience of guest-starring on Grey’s and Dane’s “extraordinary” act of trans allyship.
Dane with Patrick Dempsey on Grey’s Anatomy.
(Photo by Danny Feld/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In her tribute to Dane, Katherine Heigl, who played Isobel “Izzie” Stevens in the first six seasons, penned a heartfelt letter to Dane’s wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters, Billie and Georgia. “There is so little, if in fact anything, one can say about a tragic loss like yours. All the ‘I’m sorries’ and ‘my prayers are with you’ ring a bit hollow in the midst of so much pain and grief,” she wrote. “So I will say the only thing that has ever brought me peace when I’ve lost someone I love. It is Robert Frost’s poem ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ of which I have tattooed on my body in my parent’s handwriting so I will never forget that the moment of gold was worth it.”
“I will never forget Eric’s gold and I will forever be grateful I got to bask in it for even a brief moment in time,” Heigl concluded. “Thank you for sharing him with us. God Speed my old friend…here’s to your next great adventure.”
T.R. Knight, who played the late George O’Malley from seasons one through five, wrote on Instagram, “Eric, your generosity and humor will always be a guide, your courage and honesty, a beacon. My heart is a part of the vast circle that surrounds you and loves you.”
James Pickens Jr., one of the last three original cast members on Grey’s who plays former chief of surgery Richard Webber, wrote on his Instagram Story, “Rest in Peace.” Kevin McKidd, who has played trauma surgeon Owen Hunt from seasons five through 22, also wrote on his Instagram Story, “Rest in Peace Buddy.” In addition to sharing a plethora of posts made in Dane’s honor, Sarah Drew, who played trauma surgeon April Kepner for 11 seasons, wrote, “Heartbroken for this tremendous loss. Eric was an incredible presence as an actor and as a human and he will be profoundly missed. Sending so much love to his family.”
Kim Raver, who has played cardiothoracic surgeon Teddy Altman for 12 seasons, remembered Dane as “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,” she recalled. “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!”
Former Grey’s showrunner Krista Vernoff, who was responsible for orchestrating the high-profile cameos in the dream sequences during the show’s COVID-19 season, shared a behind-the-scenes image of Dane with Pompeo and producing director Debbie Allen, as well as screenshots of her text messages with Dane.
“I called Eric and he answered immediately. I said will you come back? I know it’s a pandemic and shooting is a nightmare but we’re gonna do it on the beach and keep our social distance because the world needs joy and Mark and Lexie are joy,” she wrote on Instagram. “He said where and when. When I came to set that day, he said, we’re breaking the rules and hugging now right? What I will remember most about Eric Dane are his hugs. The best hugs. Oh my friend. I wish you peace.”
Allen, for her part, wrote on Instagram, “Our beloved brother Eric Dane made his ascension into the Light, leaving us with great memories of his powerful presence on and off screen. Adored by millions of fans as McSteamy, we will always speak his name with true joy, courage, and love. RIP, my brother.”
By complete coincidence, Thursday’s episode of Grey’s also introduced Toni Wright, a new plastic attending surgeon played by Yellowstone alumna Jen Landon. According to Richard, Jackson even said that Toni was “the go-to for facial reconstruction.” Toni went to medical school with Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), the neurosurgeon who just returned from a monthslong sabbatical following the death of her friend and colleague, Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales), in last season’s hospital explosion.
Despite initially giving Amelia the cold shoulder while working together on a patient, Toni confesses to Amelia in the hospital cafeteria that she had a “huge crush” on her. By the time they clock out at the end of the day, Amelia reveals that she, too, had a crush on Toni, even though Amelia did not fully understand her feelings at the time. In true Grey’s fashion, the final moments of the episode show Amelia and Toni hooking up in an on-call room.
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New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy air Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.