“Grey's Anatomy ”star Chyler Leigh opens up about 'devastation' of Eric Dane's death: 'I just loved the man'

Ryan ColemanSun, May 17, 2026 at 9:18 PM UTC

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Eric Dane and Chyler Leigh on 'Grey's Anatomy'
Credit: Scott Garfield / © ABC / Courtesy: Everett CollectionKey Points -

Chyler Leigh is opening up about the "devastation" she felt following her Grey's Anatomy costar Eric Dane's death at 53.

"I didn't know how to comprehend it," Leigh recently shared.

Leigh and Dane were the two halves of a fan-favorite relationship on the show, which came to a tragic end in its eighth season.

Chyler Leigh remains devastated by the loss of her Grey's Anatomycostar Eric Dane. But she's choosing to hold on to the positive memories.

"Eric had one of the kindest hearts. We had a deep relationship, a respect for one another," she shared on Wednesday's episode of the You Might Know Her From podcast, describing him as "such a wonderful scene partner" with whom she shared "amazing philosophical questions. He's a deep, deep man, and it was really, really special working with him."

Dane died on Feb. 19 at the age of 53. He had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which he revealed in 2025. In the weeks and months following his tragic passing, Dane's costars and collaborators from across his career poured out their hearts in tribute. Leigh too, who told E! Newsdays after his death, "The Universe is undoubtedly holding Eric now... just as I will continue to do within my heart forever."

But going on three months without Dane, Leigh's heart still aches for her former scene partner.

Eric Dane and Chyler Leigh on 'Grey's Anatomy'
Credit: ABC/RANDY HOLMES

"I will always look back fondly as far as that goes, and I've watched everything that he was on afterwards, because I just loved the man," she continued on the You Might Know Her From pod. "But it had been a while since I had connected with him, and then I got the news."

Leigh said had been doing press for her Hallmark Channel series The Way Home the night that news of Dane's death began to spread. "My publicist called me and said, 'Hey, I just want you to know, be prepared that Eric passed.' Because it was going to all come out, I think the next day. I was like, 'Oh my God.' I didn't know how to comprehend it.' Then I was on a plane ride from L.A. doing press, flying back to Nashville, that, all of a sudden, it just hit. I had to keep getting up and going to use the lavatory because I was just sobbing."

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Leigh remembered that her social media feeds instantly "blew up all over again, it was all scenes and moments and the epic kisses or the 'teach me' moment, all that stuff. It just hit me. I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe this happened.'"

Dane joined the enduringly popular medical drama in its second season as Dr. Mark Sloan, an incorrigible ladies' man with a secret heart of gold. Leigh joined season 4 as the precocious intern Lexie Grey, sister to series star Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey. Their characters don't share many scenes together until season 5, when they embark on a secret affair that develops into a full-blown relationship.

The two drift apart and together several times before, in season 8, Mark admits he wants to spend the rest of his life with Lexie. Just moments later, they're both tragically killed in a plane crash. The powerful storyline continues to be ranked among the most shocking and emotional on Grey's, a series known for its over-the-top shocking and emotional storylines.

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"I don't want to say it in an insensitive way, but I didn't know it was going to hit me that hard, and especially that fast," Leigh said of Dane's death. "It was definitely like a grief. And now when I see the Reels, it's like, 'Oh, I'm over it.' I can kind of be able to see past the absolute devastation of it, and then be able to appreciate even more so those incredible moments that we had together."

You can listen to Leigh's full interview on the You Might Know Her From podcast above.

on Entertainment Weekly

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