Sara Ramirez Pays Tribute to Eric Dane, Shares Her Support for Trans Costar

Sara Ramirez celebrate their late life Grey’s Anatomy the costar Eric Dane by sharing how he once volunteered to support a guest star in a medical drama.

On Saturday, February 21, Ramirez, 50, became the latest Grey’s Anatomy Member to pay tribute to Dane, who died at the age of 53 on Thursday, February 19, following a battle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS.

Ramirez posted a “broken heart emoji” on Instagram and shared a video from the trans activist and actress Alexandra Billings, who played Donna Gibson in the classic show Grey’s Anatomy Episode 3 of “Where the Boys Are.” The powerful episode was about Dr. Mark Sloan (Dane) supports Donna when she is diagnosed with breast cancer during her transition.

In the 15-minute episode, Billings recalled how Dane showed her compassion on set and fought for her when her long monologue had to be cut. According to Billings, he shared with Dane how his original doctor would “touch my knee or hold me” while going through the transition process in the 1980s.

“[The doctor] he would let me know that he saw me no matter what we were talking about,” he explained.

After sharing that memory, Dane held Billings’ hand during the incident to mimic the real support he received. Later, the director and writer told Billings that they would have to cut his motivational speech short due to timing reasons.

“[Eric] he turns to me and speaks very quietly, and says, ‘What are the five most important things you said in that one speech?’ … I told him! I don’t remember what they were, but I told him one of them was about my wife, a line about my wife. And he said, ‘Say that and we’ll make it a little better,'” he recalled. [operator] he said: ‘What do you say?’ And from behind, you feel like the little Muppets, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea!’ So they all suited you. And that’s what you see in the episode.”

Billings said it “changed everything for me” when Dane fought for her character Donna to have that moment of catharsis.

“There was no reason in the world for him to do that, it had nothing to do with him,” he said. “Time is money, especially on television.” Eric Dane was one of the kindest, most compassionate people I think I ever worked with. Or, ‘That was unusual.’ And that was one of those times. Eric Dane showed everyone on that set what a true partner looks like. It’s not just talking.”

Fighting back tears, Billings continued, “A friend is there even when there’s danger around. And that’s what Eric Dane did. I didn’t know him. I didn’t really know him but I knew him completely. And he’ll be missed. And I’ll say something I never got a chance to say to him: Thank you, Eric. Thank you to everyone.

Earlier this week, Patrick Dempsey He admitted that “it was difficult to put into words” what he felt Grey’s Anatomy The death of costar Dane was telling.

“He was a very funny man – he was a lot of fun to work with, and I want to remember him in that spirit, because whenever he was on set, he brought so much joy to it,” Dempsey recalled. “He had a sense of humor. He was easy to work with. We hit it off quickly. The first scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom in a towel and looking amazing, making you feel completely out of place and empty.”

“We won because there had never really been a competition,” he added. “There was just this great mutual respect, he’s so smart, and I’ll always remember those fun times we had together and celebrating the joy he brought to people’s lives, and the real loss is for those of us who no longer have him.”

Dane’s family announced Thursday that he had died nearly a year after going public with his ALS diagnosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a disease of the nervous system that weakens nerve cells in both the brain and spinal cord and leads to a progressive loss of muscle control.

“[Eric] “Eric loved his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he has received. The family has asked for privacy as they consider this difficult time. “

Dane was survived by two daughters, Billie and Georgia, from his marriage Rebecca Gayheart. A GoFundMe was set up to support her daughters on Friday, February 21, and has already raised more than $274,000 towards the $500,000 goal.