{"id":240593,"date":"2026-05-16T13:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/greys-anatomys-chyler-leigh-initially-didnt-know-how-to-comprehend-eric-danes-death\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T13:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:45:42","slug":"greys-anatomys-chyler-leigh-initially-didnt-know-how-to-comprehend-eric-danes-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/greys-anatomys-chyler-leigh-initially-didnt-know-how-to-comprehend-eric-danes-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Grey\u2019s Anatomy\u2019s Chyler Leigh Initially \u2018Didn\u2019t Know How to Comprehend\u2019 Eric Dane\u2019s Death"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chyler Leigh <\/b><\/a>has nothing but fond memories of Grey\u2019s Anatomy <\/i>love interest Eric Dane<\/b>, and she still can\u2019t believe that he died earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cEric had one of the kindest hearts,\u201d Leigh, 44, said on the Thursday, May 14, episode of the \u201cYou Might Know Her From\u201d podcast<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWe had a deep relationship, respect for one another and [he] was such a wonderful scene partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leigh previously appeared as Dr. Lexie Grey on Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/i>, where Dane portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan. The couple\u2019s clandestine, age-gap relationship<\/span><\/a> ended in season 8 after a fatal plane crash.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I remember] having philosophical questions. He\u2019s such a deep, deep man,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt 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 \u2018McSteamy, Eric Dane.\u2019 \u2026 I will always look back fondly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Grey’s Anatomy’s Chyler Leigh Shares Emotional Tribute to Late Eric Dane<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tChyler Leigh has reacted to her former Grey\u2019s Anatomy love interest Eric Dane\u2019s death. \u201cThe last 48 hours have been devastating,\u201d Leigh, 43, told\u00a0E! News\u00a0in a Saturday, February 21, statement. \u201cI never thought I would be using the term \u2018had or was,\u2019 but here we are. And I hate it. Eric had a heart of [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Leigh gushed that she \u201cjust loved\u201d Dane and had kept up with the actor\u2019s filmography since their respective Grey\u2019s <\/i>exits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had been a while since I had connected with him, and then I got the news,\u201d Leigh said of Dane\u2019s death in February <\/span><\/a>at age 53. \u201cThen, it just hit me. I was like, \u2018Oh my God, I can\u2019t believe this happened.\u2019 I found out that night \u2026 [and] I didn\u2019t know how to comprehend it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Days later, the Way Home <\/i>actress felt a flood of emotions when she flew from Los Angeles back home to Nashville.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, it just hit. I had to keep getting up and going to use the lavatory because I was just sobbing,\u201d Leigh said. \u201cI didn\u2019t 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\u2019s not like I\u2019m over it but I\u2019m able to see past the absolute devastation of it and be able to appreciate even more so those incredible moments that we had together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dane died after battling ALS. He is survived by his two daughters, whom he shared with Rebecca Gayheart.<\/b><\/p>\n

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