Eric Dane, who played McSteamy on Grey’s Anatomy, dies
Eric Dane, best known for his roles as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, passed away at the age of 53 after battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Many TV fans are reeling from the shock of the deaths of two celebrities in quick succession. Within days, fans said goodbye to Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek and Grey’s Anatomy’s Eric Dane. Furthermore, both stars passed away before the age of 55 after battling serious illnesses.
Van der Beek died less than three years after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer, and Dane was living with ALS. Both continued to work in Hollywood while battling illness. Van der Beek was 48 years old and Dane 53.
The death of a famous person can feel personal, even if you’ve never met the person. And while everyone feels grief differently, experts say widespread mourning of public figures can intensify collective grief.
When death is associated with a serious illness, there is often another layer of heightened health anxiety. Watching a beloved celebrity slowly decline can exacerbate existing concerns about one’s own health.
Here’s what you need to know about health anxiety, collective grief, and how to deal with those fears.
It can be healthy to grieve in a group. It can also make your concerns even worse
Some of these stars’ stories unfold on social media, bringing fans closer to them.
Van der Beek and Dane’s families announced their deaths in posts on their respective Instagram accounts. Notably, family and friends of the two have also created a GoFundMe page to support the star’s surviving loved ones. Fans and industry colleagues alike helped raise more than $2.7 million and $338,000, respectively.
“Dawson’s Creek will always be a part of my life,” one donor commented on Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe. “No one here knows each other, but we are all connected by this love and united in our grief.”
Experts say collective or public grief is a legitimate experience and can be a normal part of grieving. But problems can arise if sharing the experience causes someone to worry more about their health or mortality. Efforts to raise money for these prominent figures can also raise mixed feelings about one’s own medical and financial securities.
Why celebrity deaths cause health concerns
In the age of WebMD and ChatGPT, it’s easier than ever to spiral about a medical condition. For fans, seeing a public figure suffering from health issues creates genuine fear. If celebrities who are most likely to receive the best care are dying from an illness, what does that mean for ordinary Americans?
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is one of 17 types of cancer on the rise among Generation X and Millennials. Experts say the exact cause of the rise in cancer among young people is unknown, but researchers are working to find out.
ALS, also commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare degenerative disease that can affect the brain and spinal cord. According to the CDC, ALS patients typically live three to five years after symptoms begin. So far, no cure has been found.
For people who already suffer from health anxiety, a loss like this can make the fear even worse.
It’s common to feel some anxiety about one’s health, but when someone begins to experience “excessive preoccupation with developing a serious illness,” that concern develops into health anxiety, explains Dr. Shaili Turner, chief health officer at Crisis Text Line.
Witnessing these deaths can evoke memories of loved ones battling the same disease. And even for those who seem well-known and have access to resources, that anxiety can be exacerbated when they see the limits of what the health care system can do.
“When we see celebrities go through something like this, we feel very vulnerable, right? If it can happen to them, it can definitely happen to me,” Turner says.
How to deal with health anxiety
- know you are not alone: “Give yourself permission to feel sad,” says Turner. “People have been very passionate about these shows for years. … Acknowledge that and be sad about yourself, but don’t get caught up in it.”
- control what you can do: Turner says staying up to date with the latest health news and going for regular check-ups, along with maintaining a balanced diet and exercise, are productive ways to overcome concerns.
- Suppress Google Search: Turner also suggested avoiding self-diagnosis on the internet.
- Turn to healthy pastimes: Try a healthy redirect instead. It includes things like meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness activities, and physical exercise.
- seek professional help: If someone keeps going to the doctor repeatedly and the doctor can’t find a medical diagnosis and continues to worry, it’s time to seek help, Turner says. “Anxiety is your brain’s response to not being able to control your emotions, and because it’s a stress response, it can cause physical symptoms,” Turner says.
Anyone seeking mental health support can text “SHARE” to 741741 to be connected to a trained volunteer crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
Contributor: Alyssa Goldberg
Rachel Hale’s role covering youth mental health for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Contact X at rhale@usatoday.com and @rachelleighhale.
