'Vikings' star mourns Eric Dane's death

Canadian actor Alexander Ludwig expressed sorrow over the death of Eric Dane who passed away  on Thursday aged 53.

"Ugh this hurts so much. Will miss you Eric and loved our time together. You were a joy to work with," wrote Ludwig who shared the screen with Eric Dane in 2024 action-comedy film Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

Alexander Ludwig rose to global fame for his stellar performance on the hit TV series Vikings.

Eric Dane, who played the handsome Dr Mark Sloan on the hit television series "Grey's Anatomy," died on Thursday 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 center 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.