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Sara Ramirez celebrated the life of their late Grey’s Anatomy costar Eric Dane by sharing how he once selflessly supported a guest star on the medical drama.
On Saturday, February 21, Ramirez, 50, became the latest Grey’s Anatomy cast member to pay tribute to Dane, who died at age 53 on Thursday, February 19, following a battle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS.
Ramirez posted a “broken heart emoji” via Instagram and shared a video from trans activist and actress Alexandra Billings, who played Donna Gibson in the classic Grey’s Anatomy season 3 episode “Where the Boys Are.” The powerful episode dealt with Dr. Mark Sloan (Dane) supporting Donna when she was diagnosed with breast cancer while in the midst of transitioning.
In a 15-minute tribute, Billings recalled the way Dane showed her empathy on set and fought for her when her lengthy monologue was supposed to be cut. Per Billings, she shared with Dane how her real-life doctor would “touch my knee or he would hold me” while she was going through the process of transitioning in the 1980s.
“[The doctor] would let me know he saw me, no matter what we were talking about,” explained.
After sharing that memory, Dane held Billings’ hand during their scene to emulate the real support she’d received. Later, the director and writer informed Billings that they would have to cut her inspiring monologue for time reasons.
“[Eric] turns to me and he says very quietly, he says, ‘What are the five most important things you say in that monologue?’ … And I told him! I don’t remember what they were, but I told him one of them was about my wife, a line about my wife. And he said, ‘Say that and we’ll do a little improvisation,’” she remembered. “And he turned to the boom mic [operator] and he said, ‘What do you think?’ And from the back, you hear like little Muppets, ‘Yes, that’s a great idea!’ So they were all for it. And that’s what you see in the episode.”
Billings said that “it changed everything for me” when Dane fought for her character Donna to have that moment of catharsis.
“There was no reason in the world for him to do that. It didn’t have anything to do with him,” she said. “Time is money, especially in television. Eric Dane was one of the kindest, most empathetic humans I think I’ve ever worked with. I think that I could count on one hand the amount of times where I’ve left a set … and gone, ‘I can’t believe.’ Or, ‘That was extraordinary.’ And that was one of those times. Eric Dane showed everyone on that set what a true ally looks like. It’s not just talk.”
Eric Dane in “Grey’s Anatomy.” Adam Larkey / ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection
As she fought back tears, Billings went on, “An ally is present even when there’s danger in them being present. And that’s what Eric Dane did. I didn’t know him. I really didn’t know him but I absolutely knew him. And he will be missed. And I’m going to say something I didn’t get a chance to say to him: Thank you, Eric. Thank you. From all of us.”
Earlier this week, Patrick Dempsey admitted it was “hard to put into words” what his Grey’s Anatomy costar Dane’s death meant.
“He was the funniest man — he was such a joy to work with, and I want to just remember him in that spirit, because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it,” Dempsey recalled. “He had a great sense of humor. He was easy to work with. We got along instantly. First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant.”
“We hit it off because it was never really any competition,” he added. “There was just this wonderful mutual respect, he’s wickedly intelligent, and I’m always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people’s lives, and the real loss is for us who don’t have them anymore.”
Dane’s family announced on Thursday that he’d died nearly a year after going public with his ALS diagnosis. Per the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a nervous system disease that weakens nerve cells in both the brain and spinal cord and leads to a progressive loss of muscle control.
“[Eric] will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always,” his rep said. “Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
Dane was survived by two daughters, Billie and Georgia, from his marriage to Rebecca Gayheart. A GoFundMe was set up to support his daughters on Friday, February 21, and has already raised more than $274,000 towards a $500,000 goal.
