Before Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis, the late actor believed his early symptoms were caused by using his phone too much.
​The Grey’s Anatomy star, who died back in February 2026 at age 53, two years after being diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disease, recalled in his autobiography, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, that he first noticed a problem in January 2024 while eating sushi with his children.
​According to an excerpt obtained by People, he penned, “I’m eating sushi with my kids and suddenly I can’t work the chopsticks with my right hand. My hand tingles, and then my fingers feel numb.”​
Dane initially thought the problem was linked to his smartphone usage.Â
“Some kind of weird nerve thing, I think. I shake it off. I’m probably texting too much,” he shared.
​However, the symptoms returned three weeks later and became worse.
​The actor wrote, “Three weeks later, it happens again, only worse. I can’t grip the chopsticks at all.”
Dane spent nine months “searching for answers” before receiving his ALS diagnosis, which he publicly announced in April 2025.
The father of two also recalled a heartbreaking moment when he was unable to hug his eldest daughter due to his hand movement.
In his memoir, he apologized to his daughter for not embracing her after a ballet performance.
“Billie, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I can’t wrap my arms around you,” Dane wrote.
However, the Euphoria star shared that the sentimental moment turned into their new tradition as Dane hugged himself and the father-daughter duo cried together.
​For those unversed, Dane, who also shares a younger daughter Georgia with his wife Rebecca Gayheart, passed away on 19 February.
