Died at 53
male
Eric William Dane (born Eric William Melvin; November 9, 1972 – February 19, 2026) was an American actor. After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, including his recurring role as Jason Dean on Charmed, one of his most notable roles was as Dr. Mark Sloan 'Dr. McSteamy' on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2006–2012; 2021). He also played Captain Tom Chandler in the TNT series The Last Ship (2014–2018), Cal Jacobs in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–2026), and FBI Special Agent Nathan Blythe in the Amazon Prime Video crime series Countdown (2025). He appeared in films such as X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), Burlesque (2010), and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024). In April 2025, he announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He said his symptoms had begun roughly eighteen months earlier. By June 2025, he had completely lost the use of his right arm, and by October 2025 he was using a wheelchair. He died on February 19, 2026, at the age of 53. From Wikipedia.
My attempt to reorganise X-Men films into a more cohesive timeline. X-Men (2000): Growing fear of mutants. Focus on the X-men’s found-family dynamic across generations. Rogue given more character development. Clash with Magneto & the Brotherhood stopping his increasingly extreme plan. X-Men: Mankind (2003): Wolverine’s past emerges through flashbacks. The cruelty of William Stryker’s Weapon X program forces the X-Men and Magneto into a reluctant alliance, while Jean Grey’s powers are pushed to the limit saving the team. X-Men: Phoenix Rising (2007): Jean, believed dead, returns with the Phoenix Force, amplifying her anger at humans, Charles & Magneto. She causes destruction, struggles morally, and ultimately chooses to take control of the power, manifesting as the Phoenix in the sky and removing herself from the world. Sentinel program quietly advances. X-Men: First Class (2010): Nathaniel Essex as architect pulling strings from the shadows. More time with Erik hunting Nazis. More comic-accurate Emma Frost; Darwin survives; Havok swapped to fix continuity. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2013): Mostly the same but with enough focus and better lines for characters to give them time to shine. X-Men: Bloodlines (2023): Set against the fall of the iron curtain – Mr. Sinister is abducting unregistered mutants across Europe. Setting traps for the x-men, to divide and capture Scott & Jean to harness their DNA. Jean’s powers surge during a showdown beneath Berlin, destroying Sinister’s archives, forcing his retreat. X-Men: Apocalypse (2025): Jeans power surge & Sinister’s failure awakens Apocalypse. Seeing his “pawn” could not control the X-Men or Jean’s cosmic power, Apocalypse corrupts 4 Horsemen to reshape the modern world. Guided by future Charles via the astral plane, Jean learns to control her Phoenix energy. The team overcome Apocalypse, entombing him & preventing his conquest.
