Makers of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy paid a tribute to actor Eric Dane during Thursday’s episode, one week after his death on February 19.
Towards the end of the episode, the show aired a 65-second montage dedicated to Dane and his character Dr Mark Sloan. The video, set to Tommee Profitt & Fleuries’ cover of Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, revisited key moments from Mark’s arc on the series.
The song became closely associated with the medical drama after it was used in the Season 2 finale during the death of Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) struggled to let him go.
The montage opened with Mark’s earliest appearances on the show, including scenes in which he referred to himself and Meredith Grey as the “dirty mistresses”. Mark’s advice to Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), delivered from his deathbed, played in voiceover: “If you love someone, you tell ’em, even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it. You say it loud.”
Dane joined Grey’s Anatomy in Season 2 as Dr Mark Sloan, a charismatic plastic surgeon nicknamed McSteamy. Introduced as the best friend of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Mark’s affair with Derek’s wife, Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), had ended their marriage. The character quickly became a fan favourite, and Dane was promoted to series regular in Season 3.
Mark Sloan died in Season 8 following injuries sustained in a plane crash involving several of the hospital’s doctors. Despite the character’s death, Dane made additional appearances on the series, including in Season 19, when Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), in a Covid-induced hallucinatory state, was visited by several deceased characters.
In 2025, Dane was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite the terminal illness, he portrayed an ALS patient in NBC’s Brilliant Minds, and completed filming Season 3 of Euphoria, in which he played Cal Jacobs.
Euphoria is set to premiere April 12 on HBO.
News of Dane’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from his Grey’s Anatomy colleagues, including creator Shonda Rhimes, Heigl and Walsh.
