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Katherine Heigl is deeply mourning the loss of her former Grey’s Anatomy colleague, Eric Dane, who recently passed away at the age of 53.
On Sunday, February 22, Heigl, 47, took to Instagram, sharing her struggle with how to publicly grieve. “I’ve wrestled with posting this for days. Public mourning doesn’t come naturally to me,” she expressed. “I usually reserve my tears, stories, and memories for those closest to me or for moments of solitude. Yet, staying silent might seem indifferent, and that’s a perception I cannot accept in this case.”
Heigl continued, “To Rebecca, Billie, Georgia … Words fall short in moments of such profound loss. Expressions like ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘my prayers are with you’ can feel inadequate when faced with such overwhelming sorrow.”
As reported by Us Weekly on Thursday, February 19, Dane succumbed to ALS. He leaves behind two daughters, whom he shared with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart.
The Grey’s Anatomy family is in mourning, honoring the life of Eric Dane, who passed away at 53 after battling ALS. His family confirmed his passing on February 19, noting that he spent his last days surrounded by close friends, his loving wife, and his two cherished daughters, Billie and Georgia.
“I will say the only thing that has ever brought me peace when I’ve lost someone I love,” Heigl wrote in her social media tribute. “It is Robert Frost’s poem ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay,’ of which I have tattooed on my body in my parent’s handwriting, so I will never forget that the moment of gold was worth it. ‘Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so Dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.’”
Heigl further revealed that Dane was akin to “gold” in the 1923 poem.
“I will never forget Eric’s gold and I will forever be grateful I got to bask in it for even a brief moment in time,” she concluded. “Thank you for sharing him with us. God Speed my old friend, here’s to your next great adventure.”
Dane and Heigl costarred on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan and Dr. Izzie Stevens, respectively. Dane appeared on the medical drama from seasons 2 to 8, while OG cast member Heigl left after season 6.
Eric Dane died on the 20th anniversary of his first appearance on Grey’s Anatomy. Dane’s loved ones confirmed his death in a statement on Thursday, February 19, following his battle with ALS, noting that the actor “spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, […]
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Eric Dane,” a statement from ABC and 20th Television read earlier this week. “His remarkable talent and unforgettable presence on Grey’s Anatomy left a lasting impact on audiences around the world, and his courage and grace during his battle with ALS inspired so many. Our hearts are with his family, friends and colleagues, as well as the many fans whose lives were touched by his work.”
Ahead of his death, Dane was long grateful to have acted on Grey’s for so many years.
“I’m proud of [my career]. All of it got me to where I am today,” Dane said in his Famous Last Words interview, which premiered on Netflix hours after his death. “There was a ton of experience in there. Life experience, personal, professional. I think when I really tried to be good and approached the craft with a certain amount of effort and focus that I was capable of doing some pretty good work.”