‘Grey’s Anatomy’ pays tribute to alum Eric Dane with emotional McSteamy montage

One week after ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ alum Eric Dane’s demise, the medical drama paid an emotional tribute to the star. Dane starred as the fan-favorite character Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on the show from 2006 to 2009. In Thursday’s episode, a 65-second McSteamy montage served as a tribute to Dane and his character. The montage featured the song ‘Chasing Cars’, which became iconic after being used in the show.

Tribute to Eric Dane

The montage opened with Mark’s earliest appearances on the show, including scenes where he referred to himself and Meredith Grey as the “dirty mistresses.” Mark’s advice to Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), delivered from his deathbed, played in voiceover: “If you love someone, you tell ’em, even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it. You say it loud.”

Eric Dane’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ journey

Dane joined the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy” in Season 2, playing a plastic surgeon and a ladies’ man, Mark, nicknamed McSteamy, was the best friend of Derek Shepherd. Mark Sloan proved to be a popular character, and Dane became a series regular in Season 3. He died during Season 8, after a bunch of the hospital’s doctors were in a plane crash.

Dane appeared a few more times on the show, including with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) in Season 19 when she was in a hallucinatory state from COVID, and characters who had died on the show visited her.


In 2025, Dane was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He passed away at the age of 53 on February 19. News of Dane’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from his Grey’s Anatomy colleagues, including creator Shonda Rhimes, Heigl and Walsh.

Despite the terminal illness, he portrayed an ALS patient in NBC’s ‘Brilliant Minds’, and completed filming Season 3 of ‘Euphoria’, in which he played Cal Jacobs.