“I love you so much and I am honored to get to speak about you today,” she told Dane at the time
Ellen Pompeo is honoring Eric Dane two decades after they first appeared on screen together.
The Grey’s Anatomy alum, 56, showed love to her former costar in a pre-taped message at the ALS Network Champions for Cures & Care Gala, which honored him on Jan. 24.
Dane, 53, and Pompeo did not appear in person at the event, which was held at the Pasadena Convention Center. They did, however, both provide pre-taped messages amid Dane’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.
For her part, Pompeo reflected on her initial on-screen connection with Dane, who boarded Grey’s during 2006’s season 2.
“I remember when he came in as McSteamy and us having instant electric chemistry, and I immediately just fell in love with him,” she said.
The actress also recalled the moment she learned of Dane’s diagnosis. Last April, he revealed to PEOPLE exclusively that he had been diagnosed with ALS, sharing that he was “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
“As soon as I heard about his diagnosis, I texted him, and I said, ‘I’m here if you want to speak,’ ” Pompeo recalled. “And my phone rang 30 seconds later.”
Reflecting on their conversation, Pompeo said she told her friend she’d help him with “whatever you need, however I can help. I love you.”
“I’m really proud of you,” she added of Dane. “I love you so much and I am honored to get to speak about you today.”
Since announcing his diagnosis last year, Dane has been open about his experience with the rare degenerative disease, which causes progressive paralysis of the muscles. During a panel hosted by I AM ALS alongside Brilliant Minds creator Michael Grassi in December, Dane said he felt it was “imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can.”
“Because I don’t feel like my life is about me anymore,” he said at the time. “It’s something I’ve had to wrestle with, because I’m a pretty selfish person, and I would love my life to be all about me, but I just can’t.”
He later added, “I want to make sure that people are aware of what ALS is and, more importantly, what we can do to combat it and improve the landscape.”
Fellow Grey’s alum, Patrick Dempsey, called Dane “courageous” during an interview published in January. Speaking with Parade, Dempsey said he’d been texting his friend and revealed he tries to “stay in touch and see how he’s doing.”
“I think he’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease. He’s such a wonderful human being,” Dempsey said. “He has such a great sense of humor, and he’s so intelligent. I’ve always enjoyed working and being around Eric.”
“It’s heartbreaking,” he added. “It really is. For him and for his family. You feel for them when you see this terrible disease and how quickly it attacks the body. But he’s bringing a lot of light to that, and he’s using his platform in a positive way. I wish him the best.”