“Euphoria” Season 3 opened with a heartfelt tribute to Eric Dane on April 12. The actor died following a battle with ALS on Feb. 19 at age 53, nearly two months before the third season of the hit HBO drama premiered.
The Season 3 premiere also paid tribute to Angus Cloud, who died July 31, 2023, from an accidental overdose, and executive producer Kevin Turen, who died Nov. 12, 2023, from a cardiac emergency.
The episode began with a tribute where an image of the actor appeared on a black screen along with the words, “In remembrance of Eric Dane 1972 — 2026.” At the end of the premiere episode, just after the credits, dedicated tributes appeared for him, Cloud and Turen on an “In Memoriam” screen.
In April 2025, Dane publicly announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS, in an interview with People. The disease is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — named after the New York Yankees player — and impacts the nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord. It worsens over time and causes loss of muscle control. Common symptoms include slurred speech and weakness in the limbs. Dane died of respiratory failure, according to his death certificate obtained by NBC News.
Dane announced his ALS diagnosis while “Euphoria” was filming Season 3, with production having begun roughly two months prior. In a June 2025 interview, Dane shared that his ALS symptoms had begun around a year and a half before his diagnosis — as far back as late 2023 or early 2024, when he first noticed weakness in his right hand. By September 2025, his speech had changed, becoming slow and slurred. He eventually lost his ability to speak altogether but used an AI voice to communicate.
“Euphoria” was not the only show to honor Dane. “Grey’s Anatomy,” the long-running medical drama where Dane portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan — nicknamed “McSteamy” — aired its tribute on Feb. 26, one week after his death. Introduced as a guest star in Season 2, Dane became a series regular and remained on the show through Season 9, when his character died from injuries sustained in a plane crash. The 65-second tribute was set to Tommee Profitt and Fleurie’s cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” and featured some of Dane’s most memorable moments as the character, including warm and humorous scenes that defined his run on the show.
It closed with the words, “In loving memory of Eric Dane. 1972 – 2026.”
Dane’s colleagues paid tribute to him on social media and in interviews. His “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Patrick Dempsey reflected on their friendship during an appearance on Virgin Radio UK. “He’s such a joy to work with, and I want to just remember him in that spirit. Anytime he was on set, he brought so much fun to it. He had a great sense of humor. (…) We got along instantly,” Dempsey said.
His “Euphoria” co-star Sydney Sweeney took to Instagram Stories to reshare a clip from Dane’s final video message to his daughters, Billie and Georgia, featured in the Netflix series “Famous Last Words.” She wrote over the clip, “Forever will love you,” alongside a red heart emoji.
“Euphoria” currently airs on HBO on Sundays.