Eric Dane's Brutal ALS Battle Has Given Him New Purpose Despite 'No Reason' To Be Positive

Many celebrities have dealt with life-threatening diseases, including Michael J. Fox and Selena Gomez. Among the celebrities who have had health scares in 2025 is actor Eric Dane, who announced that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). For Dane, living with ALS has profoundly changed his everyday experiences. To his credit, Dane has chosen to use the diagnosis he received to uplift others touched by his same difficult condition.

Indeed, ALS is personal battleground territory. The disease progressively weakens a person's neurological functioning, ultimately leaving the individual without the ability to deliberately control everyday actions like walking, eating, or speaking.

Dane spoke about the progression of his disease in an interview with Diane Sawyer (via YouTube). During their conversation, he mentioned that he first noticed that one of his hands seemed weak. It took about nine months for doctors to diagnose his ALS. At the time of the Sawyer interview (a few months later), he could no longer use his right arm.

The warning signs that Dane described to Sawyer line up with hallmark ALS indicators. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, hand and feet "twitching" incidents are common early-stage ALS symptoms, as are oral diction and enunciation issues, difficulty with motor skills and coordination, and problems regulating emotional responses. These symptoms represent ones that healthy individuals normally control. However, ALS eventually takes away a patient's involuntary neurological responses as well, including breathing, which leads to death. 

Mortality rate expectations for ALS are sobering. Although there are some ALS treatments available, ALS is still a disease without a cure. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, around 10% of people with ALS are able to live with the disease for a decade. But most die due to progressive neurological decline within three to five years. The average age of diagnosis is 55, according to the ALS Association; Dane was 52 when he was diagnosed.

Because ALS affects neurological functions but doesn't cause cognitive impairment, individuals remain self-aware as they lose their physical capabilities. Partially for this reason, depression is a common occurrence among ALS patients. In fact, a 2021 review in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that approximately one-third of ALS patients showed mild, moderate, or severe depression.

Dane seems to be aware of this trend. In a recent interview, he admitted, "I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day" (via The Hollywood Reporter). With that said, he has refused to allow ALS to take away his purpose. Said Dane, "I think it's imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can because I don't feel like my life is about me anymore" (via E! News).

Dane appears determined to remain active as an entertainer and ALS advocate regardless of his diagnosis. In fact, he played the part of an individual with ALS in a 2025 television drama, further illustrating his impressive determination.