Quote Of The Day By 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Eric Dane: 'Billie, I'm So Sorry. I'm So Very Sorry That I...'

Forever our McSteamy, Eric Dane's death earlier this year was felt by many "Grey's Anatomy" fans, who had already mourned his character's death years prior. The actor played Dr. Mark Sloan for six seasons of the ABC medical drama, and his exit from the show in Season 9 was devastating.

Although Dane is best known for playing the plastic surgeon in the Shonda Rhimes series, he also had a memorable recurring role in "Charmed" and later starred in "Euphoria," playing Cal Jacobs, Nate's (Jacob Elordi) strict father harboring secrets of his own. Before filming Season 3, Dane was diagnosed with ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Sam Levinson had to adjust Cal's arc in light of the diagnosis, with the actor appearing a few times in the HBO drama's final season, which aired months after his death.

Aware of his progressive muscle paralysis, Dane did what he could to carry on with his acting career while also spending his remaining days with family. The "Euphoria" star died in February 2026, only one year after he learned about his condition. Before his death, he recorded an interview for Netflix's "Famous Last Words" and wrote a memoir titled "My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments," where he could revisit his onscreen legacy and deliver a final message to his loved ones. The quote of the day reflects his continued effort to be present in his daughters' lives, even as he was slowly losing control of his mobility.

"Billie, I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry that I can't wrap my arms around you. I wish I could hug you. I can no longer lift my arms."

The quote above comes from Eric Dane's memoir, released on November 3, 2026. In it, the actor revisited moments of his career, his battle with addiction, and the impact of the illness on his relationship with his two daughters, Billie and Georgia.

With little control over his body, Dane solemnly recalls attending Billie's ballet performance of "The Nutcracker" and being unable to wrap his arms around her when she hugged him. Both of them burst into tears, and that made him realize that there were other ways he could express his affection during his physical decline.

"This moment — my daughter holding me, my arms and hands useless, the two of us crying — feels incredibly beautiful, and I think we may be forced to start a new tradition," he added in an excerpt from the book published in People.

Eric Dane's quote of the day shows how living with ALS poses several challenges, but it also puts things into perspective. Not having the ability to do something as simple as hug his daughter during her ballet performance showed him how important it was to find alternate ways to express his love and value being with his family.

Following his diagnosis, Dane learned to approach the disease with "as much grace and dignity" to inspire his daughters to never give up (via TODAY). His continued struggle to control his muscle movements was hard on him and also hard on his family.

Prior to the memoir's release, his wife Rebecca Gayheart told People that Dane was reluctant to write it. Yet, she's glad he followed through with the memoir, especially because it offers some solace for their children. "It gives my girls the opportunity to know their dad as a human being," she said.

• "There's a grieving process, and I think it's important to experience it and let yourself experience it. But it is also important not to indulge in it because, at the end of the day, you just got to keep moving forward." — from his 2025 interview with I AM ALS
• "First, live now, right now in the present. It's hard, but I learned to do that. For years, I would wander off mentally, lost in my head for long chunks of time, wallowing in worry and self-pity, shame and doubt. I replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. 'I shouldn't have done this. I never should've done that.' No more." — from his 2026 episode on Netflix's "Famous Last Words"
• "I'm going to take this on. I'm going to fight. I'm going to show my girls how to walk through this life with grace and dignity, no matter what. I am going to FIGHT. This has become my purpose. My reason. This is now my job." — from his 2026 memoir "My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments"