Eric Dane Skips ALS Gala Citing The 'Physical Realities' Of His Condition

"Euphoria" actor Eric Dane canceled his appearance at a gala for ALS, noting that he was not feeling well enough to attend. The actor shared his diagnosis with the public last year and has since been open about his health struggles.

As of late, the 53-year-old actor has devoted his time to ALS advocacy and spending time with his family.

Dane's scheduled appearance at the ALS Network's Champions for Cures and Care Gala, held on January 24, was a special event, as he was honored as Advocate of the Year. Just hours prior to the start of the gala, however, he canceled his appearance.

Instead, the "Grey's Anatomy" alum sent a statement to the organization that read, "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," as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Despite his absence, a pre-recording of Dane was played at the gala. In it, he dedicated his award to his family and all those facing the disease. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. With the help from the ALS Network, we will finally kick the sh-t out of ALS," he said.

Last year, Dane was also absent from the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, where he was slated to be a presenter alongside his former "Grey's Anatomy" co-host, Jesse Williams.

In an interview with The Washington Post a month later, Dane shared why he skipped the prestigious ceremony. Before the event, he suffered a fall in his kitchen when he lost his balance, and he was in the hospital getting stitches on his head while the Emmy Awards took place.

Dane was disappointed at the missed opportunity, especially since it was also the 20th anniversary of "Grey's Anatomy," in which he played Dr. Mark Sloan, or "McSteamy," for six seasons. "I was really upset about it, but you know, there was nothing I could do about it," he explained.

The actor hasn't let his ALS diagnosis stop him from acting. Months after his diagnosis, Dane appeared as a guest on the series "Brilliant Minds," where he portrayed the character of Matthew, a firefighter with ALS.

"Brilliant Minds" showrunner Michael Grassi said the actor's team reached out and said Dane was a fan of the show and wanted to talk about a possible collaboration. Grassi thought it was a great opportunity for the actor to share a part of his ALS journey through the show, as reported by Deadline.

The episode was filmed in October, and according to Grassi, Dane received a 10-minute standing ovation from the cast and crew after filming an emotional scene.

"I have never seen this happen in my entire career, but he essentially got a 10-minute standing ovation after shooting that scene, because it was so beautiful and so honest and so real," Grassi told USA Today.

ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological condition that affects a patient's nervous system, resulting in the loss of muscle control, per the Mayo Clinic.

Dane noticed the weakening of his right hand, which worsened over time.  Nine months later, after visiting hand specialists and neurologists, he was diagnosed with ALS.

In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, more than a year after his diagnosis, Dane shared that he had completely lost control of his right arm, his dominant side. While he still had feeling in his left hand, he said that it was only a matter of time before he lost function.

Dane's family, including his two teen daughters, Billie and Georgia, as well as his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, serves as his pillar of strength. The couple filed for divorce in 2018, but called off their separation in light of the diagnosis.

As previously reported by The Blast, Gayheart opened up about their relationship after the ALS diagnosis, noting that they may no longer be romantically involved, but there's still "familial love" between them.

"We wanna take advantage of the time that he has right now. He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am committed to facilitating that," the actress shared.