Patrick Dempsey has shared details about his late co-star Eric Dane's condition before his death.
The actor, who played Derek Shepherd alongside Dane's Mark Sloan on the medical drama for several seasons, addressed Dane's death while promoting his new TV show Memory of a Killer on Virgin Radio's The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Friday.
Dempsey admitted that he felt "very sad" when he woke up in the U.K. on Friday morning and learned that Dane had died less than a year after he publicly revealed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis. He was 53.
"It's hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children," he said, referring to Dane's two teenage daughters, before sharing details of the Euphoria star's health in his final days with the neurodegenerative disease.
"I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak," he divulged. "He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly."
Dempsey went on to pay tribute to Dane, whom he described as "the funniest man" who "had a great sense of humour". He remembered that they "hit it off" instantly when Dane joined the TV show and there was "never really any competition" between them.
"He's wickedly intelligent and I'm always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people's lives, and the real loss is for us who don't have them anymore," he continued.
"He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it's our last day."
After Dane's family announced his death in a statement on Thursday, representatives for Grey's Anatomy studio, ABC and 20th Television, said they were "deeply saddened" by the loss. They also remembered his "remarkable talent and unforgettable presence" on the drama and "his courage and grace during his battle with ALS".
In addition, Kevin McKidd, who played Dr. Owen Hunt, took to Instagram to share a picture of Dane as Dr. Sloan and simply wrote, "Rest in peace buddy."
