As the Grey’s Anatomy season 22 finale was released on Thursday, a special honor was paid to late star Eric Dane, who died at the age of 53 in February.
During the May 7th episode of the long-running series, the finale montage was specifically designed to pay tribute to Dane’s legacy on the drama.
Kevin McKidd, who played the role of Dr. Owen Hunt from Season 5 until his exit in the Season 22 finale, told People of the tribute, “Yeah, it was very intentional we did that.”
For those unversed, Dane portrayed the fan beloved role, Dr. Mark Sloan. He passed away after an intense battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Recalling his first day on set with Dane, McKidd said, “I met Mark Sloan [Dane] and Derek Shepherd [Patrick Dempsey] at the elevators with Richard Webber [James Pickens Jr]. I was terrified — it was such a huge show.”
He added, “(They) were so welcoming to me. These were two sort of giants in the TV world at that time, and I’m this new guy showing up on the show — the Scottish theater actor.”
On the same day, Dane’s wife, Rebecca Gayheart, paid a heartfelt tribute to him three months after his death.
She took to her Instagram handle to share a post commemorating the father of her three children.
Gayheart posted an image of a plaque that read, “In Loving Memory of Eric William Dane. 1972-2026.”
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