Eric Dane told fellow ALS sufferer Aaron Lazar about his diagnosis before going public
Eric Dane opened up to Aaron Lazar about his ALS battle months before he went public with his health crisis.
The “Grey's Anatomy” star revealed in April that he is battling ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), but he spoke with Aaron directly about their shared illness while filming the Amazon series “Countdown” together.
"When I met Eric and he shook my hand, I could see and feel something was off,” Aaron told Variety. "I asked him what was going on. Eric said to me: 'I think I have what you have'."
Aaron filmed a guest spot in the show alongside series regular Eric and he revealed the team behind the scenes were incredibly supportive.
"I was in a wheelchair and I was so nervous they weren’t going to be able to dress me in my suits,” he told the outlet. "But it turns out they knew exactly what to do because they had already been working with Eric and what he had been going through."
Aaron was diagnosed with ALS in 2022 and went public with his health battle two years later.
When his guest spot on Countdown was announced, Aaron praised Amazon for their "boldness" in casting him.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote, "On June 25, Amazon’s new thriller series The Countdown premiered, and spoiler alert, this season features two actors with ALS. A first in television history? I don’t know. But I am honored to be a part of it. Thank you @realericdane you’re a bad***.
He added, "Thank you to Amazon, the producers and creators. Your boldness in casting disability friendly is appreciated more than you know ... "
Eric was recently due to make a public appearance at the Emmy Awards to hand out one of the prizes with his former “Grey's Anatomy” co-star Jesse Williams, but he ended up skipping the event after suffering a fall at home.
“ALS is a nasty disease,” the 52-year-old told The Washington Post. “So I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head.”
Dane admitted he was “really upset” about the incident, but acknowledged “there was nothing I could do about it.”
“I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to,” he told the outlet. “It would have been great to see Jesse and get reunited with some of my peers, and to be able to present in front of my colleagues, I thought, would have been a special moment.”
The “Charmed” star shares two daughters, Billie and Georgia, with wife Rebecca Gayheart.
Gayheart opened up on the how difficult Dane’s diagnosis has been for the family.
“It’s a journey, and there’s no real road map for us to follow, so we’re facing things as they happen,” she told us at the Step Up 2025 Inspiration Awards.
She continued, “We’re trying to do it all with as much dignity and grace as possible and as much love as possible. It’s a really tough situation.”
