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Chyler Leigh paid tribute to her late Grey’s Anatomy costar Eric Dane, describing him as a deeply intelligent, passionate, and loving person whom she will hold in her heart forever.
Eric Dane, who died at age 53 after a public battle with ALS, spent his final months raising awareness and advocating for ALS research.
Leigh and other Grey’s Anatomy cast members, including Kate Walsh, remembered Dane for his warmth, humor, and the strong bonds they formed while working together on the show.

Many Grey’s Anatomy actors have offered tributes to costar Eric Dane, who died at age 53 this week. But Chyler Leigh was arguably Dane’s closest collaborator on the show, playing Lexie Grey opposite his Mark Sloan. And now she, too, is speaking out about the loss.

“The last 48 hours have been devastating,” Leigh said in a statement to E! News on Saturday, February 21. “I never thought I would be using the term ‘had or was,’ but here we are. And I hate it.”

She went on: “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.”

News of Dane’s death came on February 19, 10 months after he went public with his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a degenerative nervous system disease.

Dane, who had two daughters with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, spent his final months campaigning for ALS awareness and research in hopes of finding a cure to the disease.

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The actor joined Grey’s in its second season and became a series regular in Season 3, the same season in which Leigh made her debut on the ABC medical drama. Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey — years-old spoiler alert — eventually fell in love but died following the Season 8-ending plane crash.

Leigh and Dane reprised their characters in Season 17 as a COVID-afflicted and unconscious Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) had visions of the couple sharing an afterlife together.

Leigh’s tribute comes shortly after former costar Kate Walsh, who plays Addison Montgomery on the show, honored Dane on Instagram. “One of the things I loved about Eric was his sensitivity and vulnerability (and intelligence, of course), but he had the gravitas [and] old soul that made his work magnetic and made him a great friend off set,” Walsh wrote. “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.”