Chyler Leigh has nothing but fond memories of Grey’s Anatomy love interest Eric Dane, and she still can’t believe that he died earlier this year.
“Eric had one of the kindest hearts,” Leigh, 44, said on the Thursday, May 14, episode of the “You Might Know Her From” podcast. “We had a deep relationship, respect for one another and [he] was such a wonderful scene partner.”
Leigh previously appeared as Dr. Lexie Grey on Grey’s Anatomy, where Dane portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan. The couple’s clandestine, age-gap relationship ended in season 8 after a fatal plane crash.
“[I remember] having philosophical questions. He’s such a deep, deep man,” she recalled. “It was really special working with him. We always were able to laugh even amid the most absurd or devastating circumstances. I got to know him really well outside of the ‘McSteamy, Eric Dane.’ … I will always look back fondly.”
Leigh gushed that she “just loved” Dane and had kept up with the actor’s filmography since their respective Grey’s exits.
“It had been a while since I had connected with him, and then I got the news,” Leigh said of Dane’s death in February at age 53. “Then, it just hit me. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this happened.’ I found out that night … [and] I didn’t know how to comprehend it.”
Days later, the Way Home actress felt a flood of emotions when she flew from Los Angeles back home to Nashville.
“All of a sudden, it just hit. I had to keep getting up and going to use the lavatory because I was just sobbing,” Leigh said. “I didn’t know it was going to hit me that hard and especially that fast. It was definitely a grief, and now when I see the reels [of his past work] it’s not like I’m over it but I’m able to see past the absolute devastation of it and be able to appreciate even more so those incredible moments that we had together.”
Dane died after battling ALS. He is survived by his two daughters, whom he shared with Rebecca Gayheart.
“There are no words,” Gayheart, 54, wrote via Instagram weeks after Dane’s death. “All our love forever — your girls ❤️🩹❤️.”
As for Leigh, she previously issued a statement after the Euphoria star’s death.
“I never thought I would be using the term ‘had or was,’ but here we are. And I hate it. Eric had a heart of gold,” Leigh said in a February statement. “His humor and, especially, his laugh was infectious. He was a deeply intelligent man who could carry a philosophical conversation for hours even while we were on set. He was an amazing father and loved his girls FIERCELY. Incredibly passionate about his work and the causes he kept close to his heart.”
