Chyler Leigh is remembering Eric Dane as a man who made a lasting mark on and off camera, saying on a recent episode of the You Might Know Her From podcast that he had one of the kindest hearts she had ever known. Leigh said she and Dane shared a deep relationship and mutual respect, and that he was a wonderful scene partner and really special to work with on Grey's Anatomy.
Dane died in February at 53 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease he revealed in 2025. Leigh, 44, said she had not connected with him for a while before learning of his death, and that her publicist called to warn her before the news became public the next day.
The memories came back hard, she said, while she was on a plane from Los Angeles to Nashville and trying to keep herself together after the call. Leigh said she kept getting up to use the lavatory because she was sobbing, a private moment that underscored how suddenly the loss landed for her even after time had passed since they last spoke.
Leigh and Dane played Lexie Grey and Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy, where their characters became one of the medical drama's most popular and beloved couples. Leigh said she has continued to think of him fondly and has watched everything he appeared in afterward because, in her words, she loved the man.
Her comments add another layer to the reaction that followed Dane's death in February, when fans and colleagues were still processing the loss of an actor who had been part of one of the show's most enduring relationships. Leigh's recollection is less about the show than about the person she knew, and it leaves little doubt about what she took from their time together: Dane mattered to her, and he did so in a way that outlasted the screen.
