Eric Dane's new documentary highlights ‘Euphoria’ star's ALS advocacy months before his death
A new short documentary is set to shine a light on the late Eric Dane and the cause that became very personal to him in his final year. Months after the actor’s passing, the project is giving audiences a closer look at how he used his voice and platform to push for better support and treatment options for people living with ALS. The film, titled ‘Ring Every Bell’, focuses on the ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Grey's Anatomy’ star’s involvement with I AM ALS, a group focused on fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The illness, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, gradually weakens muscles and affects one's ability to move, speak, and eventually breathe. For Dane, the diagnosis was not something he kept in the background. Instead, he stepped forward and turned it into a mission.
The documentary’s title comes from a phrase he used often during his advocacy work. Clips from the film show Dane speaking directly about policy efforts in Washington, including the renewal of the ACT for ALS. The law, first passed in 2021, helps fund research and allows certain patients to opt for treatments that are still being studied. In one moment from the documentary, he stressed how urgent the situation is. “We have a bill that needs to get to the floor for reauthorization, then it needs to get fully funded. If it doesn't, then people who are dependent on investigational therapy no longer have access to them,” Dane said. “I'm very fortunate to get great medical care and access to all of these investigational therapies, etc., which is why it’s so important to me that this bill gets pushed through because it gives access to people who wouldn’t normally have access.”
The film will have a special screening in Washington, DC, on May 6. The event will be invite-only, bringing together people connected to the cause. Before his death, Dane made several trips to the nation’s capital. During those visits, he met with lawmakers and pushed for continued funding through the Push for Progress campaign. The initiative aims to secure $1 billion in federal funding over the next three years and expand treatment access for patients who might otherwise be left waiting on the sidelines. His work did not go unnoticed. As reported by USA Today, some of his former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ co-stars also joined the campaign, though their names have not been shared publicly yet.
Dane passed away on February 19 at the age of 53 due to respiratory failure. His death came less than a year after he publicly revealed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. The timeline was short, but in that period, he managed to turn personal hardship into a push for broader change. Beyond the documentary, there is another project that will carry his voice forward. His memoir, ‘My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments’, is scheduled for release on November 3. The book is being published by Penguin Random House, which described it in a news release as a “deeply personal work” and “a reflection on family, resilience, faith, sobriety, fatherhood, and what it means to live fully in the face of terminal illness.”
