Actor Eric Dane, who played the handsome Dr Mark Sloan on the hit television series Grey’s Anatomy, died aged 53, his family said, less than a year after revealing that he suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

For 15 years, Dane played a plastic surgeon nicknamed “McSteamy” by female characters in the show. He also starred in the series Euphoria, and said after the diagnosis, he would still return to the set for its third season.

“Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family said in a statement, according to People magazine and other media. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.” ALS is a progressive disease in which a person’s brain loses connection with the muscles. It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the Hall of Fame baseball player who died from it in 1941 at age 37.