Hollywood celebrities who passed away battling ALS: From Eric Dane to Stephen Hillenburg

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, is one of the most brutal diseases out there. Per Mayo Clinic, it is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that slowly destroys motor neurons controlling voluntary muscles. It causes muscle weakness, twitching, and paralysis, and typically leads to respiratory failure within 3–5 years. Despite decades of research, there’s no cure yet. The only thing to do is to manage the symptoms.

Even with that, for most people, the fight is short and tough.

Hollywood just lost one of the most well-known faces, Eric Dane, to this disease. The world knows him as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka “McSteamy” of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, or from ‘Euphoria’. He passed away in February 2026 after his own battle with ALS.

Dane wasn’t alone; some familiar faces from Hollywood have fought their own battles with ALS. Quite a few of them have shared their journey publicly in order to raise awareness about the disease. With their courage to come forward and share such a personal experience, they’ve also pushed the conversation forward about why we need more research and better support for people living with it.

Here, let’s take a look at some of the Hollywood names we’ve lost to ALS, and how they made their mark.

Eric Dane was the latest in Hollywood to lose his life to ALS. He made his name as Dr. Sloan on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, but he also appeared in ‘Euphoria’, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’, and plenty of other projects. In April 2025, Dane went public with his ALS diagnosis. The disease moved fast, and he lost the use of his arm within months and soon needed a wheelchair. Less than a year after he shared his diagnosis, Dane passed away on February 19, 2026, at 53. People remembered his talent, but also how open he was about living with ALS and the way he raised awareness for others.

Sam Shepard was a Hollywood legend: an actor, playwright, and director who left a mark on American storytelling. The audience saw him in ‘The Right Stuff’, ‘Black Hawk Down’, or ‘August: Osage County’. He even won a Pulitzer Prize for ‘Buried Child’. Shepard kept his ALS diagnosis mostly private, fighting quietly until his demise in July 2017 at 73. He left behind a huge body of work, especially stories about family and the American West.

Stephen Hillenburg wasn’t an actor, but his name is everywhere in animation. He created ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’, which turned into one of the most successful TV shows ever. In 2017, Hillenburg revealed that he’d been diagnosed with ALS. However, he kept working on SpongeBob projects. He passed away in November 2018 at 57. Even now, his creation brings joy and keeps making people laugh all over the world.

Kenneth Mitchell was another actor who faced ALS with grit. He showed up in ‘Jericho’ and ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, among others. After his ALS diagnosis in 2020, he didn’t step back; instead, he kept acting and even worked his wheelchair into his ‘Star Trek’ role. Mitchell talked openly about his struggles and used his voice to push for more understanding and support for people with ALS. He passed away in 2024 at 49, and he’s still remembered for his strength and his advocacy.

David Niven was one of the first big Hollywood names who lost the battle of life to ALS. A classic star, he appeared in ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ and ‘Separate Tables’, winning an Oscar for the latter. By the late 1970s, fans noticed his speech was different, and his energy was down. He got his ALS diagnosis in 1980. Even as the disease took its toll, Niven kept making public appearances for a while before stepping out of the public eye. He passed away on July 29, 1983, at 73.