The acclaimed Hollywood actor who put Lewiston, Maine on the map is trying his best to spin on a sick colleague’s outlook.
But Patrick Dempsey, heartthrob alum of Grey’s Anatomy, tells Parade.com the reality is that Eric Dane is swiftly losing mobility to the disease.
Dempsey and Dane appeared on the wildly popular TV show together for several years, competing behind the scenes for most handsome.
The Lewiston native who now calls Kennebunkport his home, apparently finally won, being named as People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2023.
For more than a decade Dempsey played a neurosurgeon on Grey’s Anatomy, alongside Dane.
He reveals in a People interview that Dane’s devastating battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis prevented the former co-stars to reunite for a new show that was recently released.
“Unfortunately, the progression of his disease made it virtually impossible,” Dempsey said.
Dane, 53, was unable to appear alongside Dempsey in “Memory of a Killer,” which premiered on Fox, due to his ALS battle.
“It’s very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he’s doing,” the Maine-born actor said.
Dempsey, who portrayed Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, and Dane, who played Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, starred together in Grey’s Anatomy.
Dane, who announced nearly a year ago that he was diagnosed with ALS, now uses a wheelchair and has only one functioning arm.
Dempsey, 60, was born in Lewiston and grew up in the nearby towns of Turner and Buckfield.
In response to his late mother’s bout with cancer, Dempsey helped start the Patrick Dempsey Center at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
The annual Dempsey Challenge in the Lewiston/Auburn area, with cyclists, runners and walkers, raises money for the cancer center.
Dempsey holds an honorary doctorate for his philanthropy from Bates College in his hometown.
He has used what he sees as the humorous 2023 honor – “Sexiest Man Alive” – to engender publicity for the Dempsey Center, which provides cancer-support services.
