Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has been diagnosed with the rare degenerative condition, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
ALS is an incurable disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis of the muscles over time. It has a standard life expectancy of three to five years.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” Dane, 52, told People.
“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
The actor’s devastating diagnosis comes one month after he and wife Rebecca Gayheart, 53, called off their divorce.
Gayheart - who married Dane in 2004 and shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with him - filed for divorce in 2018 but chose to dismiss their separation in March.
ALS has been known as Lou Gehrig's disease since the baseball player died of the condition in 1941 when he was just 37.
Patients usually live for three to five years after the initial onset of symptoms, although some can live with the condition for decades, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Stephen Hawking had the disease for more than half a century before dying aged 76 in 2018.
ALS is a type of motor neuron disease, characterised by the degeneration of motor neurons, which are responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement.
Symptoms can include stiff or weak hands, weak legs and feet, spasms or muscle cramps, difficulty breathing, swallowing, or speaking, and being unable to walk or move, according to the NHS.
The disease usually affects people over the age of 50, although in very rare cases it can develop when patients are teenagers.
Dane shared his diagnosis one day after Gayheart, 53, said they had “figured out a formula” to stay together as a family.
“We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great co-parents. We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well,” she told E! News.
“I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It's just a season. It wasn't a failure. It was a huge success.
“We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids so I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it.”
The actress and former model filed to dismiss her divorce from Dane on March 5, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
