{"id":2673,"date":"2026-02-20T10:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T11:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/?p=2673"},"modified":"2026-02-25T15:32:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:32:50","slug":"early-symptoms-of-als-to-watch-out-for-as-eric-dane-dies-aged-53","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/20\/early-symptoms-of-als-to-watch-out-for-as-eric-dane-dies-aged-53\/","title":{"rendered":"Early symptoms of ALS to watch out for, as Eric Dane dies aged 53"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eric Dane has died less than a year after revealing his ALS diagnosis (Picture: Axelle\/Bauer-Griffin\/FilmMagic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beloved actor, Eric Dane, best known for his role as Dr Mark Sloan on Grey\u2019s Anatomy,<\/a> has died at the age of 53.<\/p>\n

The news comes less than a year after the father-of-two<\/a> first announced his diagnosis <\/a>with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is the most common form of motor neurone disease.<\/p>\n

Dane revealed his condition<\/a> in April 2025, telling People<\/strong><\/a>: \u2018I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.\u2019<\/p>\n

In his final public appearance in December 2025, during a virtual panel, he revealed that living with the disease<\/a> was \u2018horrible\u2019 and he had \u2018no reason to be in a good spirit at any time\u2019. However, he claimed he was still managing to have a \u2018buoyant spirit\u2019.<\/p>\n

His death on February 19 was confirmed in a statement shared by his family<\/a>, which read: \u2018With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS.\u2019<\/p>\n

They added that in his final days, the actor was surrounded by \u2018dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world\u2019.<\/p>\n

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The actor was best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria, and Charmed (Picture: Pief Weyman\/NBC via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is ALS?<\/h2>\n

ALS, sometimes also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, is a form of motor neurone disease (MND). <\/p>\n

MND is an umbrella term for several life-shortening, incurable conditions, which all cause motor neurones to degenerate prematurely. <\/p>\n

Motor neurones (also known as neurons) are nerve cells that transmit messages between the brain, spinal cord and muscles to control movement and breathing.<\/p>\n

A disease such as ALS causes motor neurones to degenerate and die, which in turn weakens and shrinks muscles, a process known as atrophy.<\/p>\n

As this happens, the brain becomes unable to send messages to the muscles. This means that over time, a person\u2019s control over voluntary movements, such as walking, eating, talking, and even breathing, is lost.<\/p>\n

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ALS causes motor neurones to degenerate (Picture: Getty Images\/Science Photo Libra)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s no single test which diagnoses ALS or MND; those with symptoms are assessed by a neurologist and undergo various tests to rule out other potential causes. This process could include blood tests, clinical examinations, an EMG, an MRI, a nerve conduction test, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which measures the activity of the upper motor neurones.<\/p>\n

The MND Association says that MND is \u2018not common\u2019, affecting up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time, with a one in 300 risk of getting it across a lifetime. <\/p>\n

For those who do have it, the average life expectancy is usually between two and five years from the onset of symptoms. However, there are exceptions to this, most notably the physicist Stephen Hawking<\/a>, who lived for more than 50 years after he was diagnosed with a form of MND at 21. He died in 2018, aged 76. <\/p>\n

What are the symptoms of ALS? <\/h2>\n

The NHS lists early symptoms of motor neurone diseases like ALS as:<\/p>\n