Eric Dane to Miss Set Appearance at ALS Network Gala Amid Health Battle
Eric Dane will miss the ALS Network’s Champions for Cures and Care Gala on Saturday night, where he is being recognized as Advocate of the Year. “The ALS Network has been informed that Eric Dane had hoped to join us this evening to accept his Advocate of the Year Award, but due to the physical…
Eric Dane will miss the ALS Network’s Champions for Cures and Care Gala on Saturday night, where he is being recognized as Advocate of the Year.
“The ALS Network has been informed that Eric Dane had hoped to join us this evening to accept his Advocate of the Year Award, but due to the physical realities of ALS, he is not well enough to attend,” the organization said in a statement ahead of the Pasadena event. “We remain deeply grateful for his courage, advocacy, and continued commitment to the ALS community, and we honor him fully this evening with our profound respect and support. Aaron Lazar, Broadway star and Grammy Award nominee, will accept the award on his behalf.”
The gala celebrates those driving change while raising critical funds to advance cures and care for people living with ALS, and set Dane as its headlining honoree back in September.
The Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy star announced less than a year ago that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a nervous system disease thatcauses loss of muscle control and gets worse over time. In June, Dane said he had lost function in his right arm, and ex-wife, Rebecca Gayheart,recently noted that he had “24/7 nurses” taking care of him. Yet he also guest starred on an episode of Brilliant Minds in November, playing a firefighter who struggles to tell his family about his ALS diagnosis.
Following that episode, Dane — who also returns for the upcoming season of Euphoria — appeared on a virtual panel with I Am ALS and writers from the NBC drama, where he spoke about his health battle.
“I’m not about to concede my purpose to some disease. I just am not capable of doing that,” he said, while adding, “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.”
