Grey's Anatomy Season 22's Eric Dane Tribute Explained

A lot of people have come and gone throughout 22 seasons of "Grey's Anatomy," but in the aftermath of the first major real-life death of one of the show's performers, the long-running ABC medical drama made it a point to pay homage to the late, great Eric Dane.

Dane, who played Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan — and who somehow managed to turn a shallow, absurdly handsome character into one of the show's most poignant, emotional players — passed away on February 19, 2026. This news broke just ten short months after Dane revealed, to the entire world, that he'd been diagnosed with ALS — an incurable neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. From season 2 through the two-part premiere of season 9, Dane's Mark was a truly indispensable part of the "Grey's Anatomy" universe, and this season 22 tribute makes that quite clear.

I'll get into the specifics of the tribute later — which is so, so lovely — but first, I'd like to highlight the fact that original "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes paid her respects to Dane on social media, which was a big indication that her production company Shondaland would craft some sort of video tribute like this. 

"Eric Dane was a beloved member of the Shondaland and 'Grey's Anatomy' families. He was truly a gifted actor whose portrayal of Dr. Mark Sloan left an indelible mark on the series and on audiences around the world," Rhimes wrote on her Instagram page alongside a photo carousel of pictures featuring Dane. "We are grateful for the artistry, spirit, friendship and humanity he shared with us for so many years. Our hearts are with his family, loved ones, and all who were touched by his work." Okay, so let's talk about the specifics of the tribute now ... and why it's perfect.

The soundtrack from "Grey's Anatomy" is legendary amongst the show's fans, so it feels exactly right that the montage of Eric Dane's plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan is set to a cover of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" — which famously plays over a heart-wrenching scene featuring Katherine Heigl and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's characters from season 2 — which, in this instance, is performed by producer Tommee Profitt and singer-songwriter Fleurie. The montage opens with Sara Ramírez's then-resident Dr. Callie Torres introducing herself to Mark at a bar, saying, "It's McSteamy, right?" in a reference to the nickname gifted to him by the show's surgical interns (after he sutures his own face, which they find indescribably hot). The touching tribute only gets funnier and better from there.

Longtime "Grey's" fans know that the series frequently played with that nickname, so of course, we get to revisit the scene where Mark emerges from a steam-filled bathroom, washboard abs on full display, in front of his best friend Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Derek's ex wife — and Mark's former lover — Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). We also see him create what he dubs the "Plastics Posse" with his mentee Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and talk about why he thinks plastic surgery is so important (saying that people go to him to "fix what's on the inside"). The video concludes with Mark's speech about love to Jackson — and about how you have to fight for it — with a final shot of Mark's return in season 17 in a dream sequence of sorts where he says, of life, "Don't waste one single minute." So who was Mark Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy?"

I already touched on the fact that Dr. Mark Sloan's calling card is his considerable skill as a plastic surgeon (and, not for nothing, a board-certified ENT), but why is he such a great character on "Grey's Anatomy?" Allow me to explain. Mark's whole situation with Derek and Addison can be summed up like this: Addison has an affair with Mark, Derek's best friend (and best man at their wedding), nearly ending their marriage and sending Derek across the country to find a new job in Seattle. There, Derek meets our protagonist, Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), and falls in love with her; when Addison shows up in Seattle to confront her estranged husband, it's a total shock and drives Derek and Meredith apart.

Then, Mark shows up in Seattle — initially to win Addison back. But he ultimately accepts a job offer at Seattle Grace Hospital as a plastics attending, and becomes one of the show's most utterly delightful characters. Mark is funny, dirty — in that montage, he tells Callie he'll teach her the "Sloan Method," which does not refer to surgery but to intimate acts that I can't describe here as she starts dating women — and his relationship with Meredith's half-sister, Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), is one of the very best on the entire series.

Sadly, both Lexie and Mark die thanks to the season 8 finale where most of the doctors are involved in a horrible plane crash (which is stupid), and though Mark returns during that dream sequence where Meredith is in a COVID-19 induced coma, his original run on the show is the stuff of "Grey's" legend.