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from Lou Gehrig 1939 to Eric Dane 2025Celebrities have been publicly addressing the disease now known as ALS for decades.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an advanced neurodegenerative disease. The disease causes an individual to gradually lose control of their muscles, starting with muscle stiffness or twitching and progressing to a complete loss of the ability to eat and breathe.
Since Garrick’s death in 1941, dozens more public figures have battled the disease. American physicist Stephen Hawking Symptoms of ALS first appeared in 1963, and despite being given just two years to live, he survived until 2018, raising awareness along the way.
Although some progress has been made to slow the disease and control symptoms, there is still no cure. Dane announced his diagnosis in April 2025, saying in a statement declare to people”, “I was diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we begin this new chapter. “
“I feel lucky that I’m able to continue working and look forward to getting back on the set of Euphoria next week,” he continued. “I kindly ask that you grant me and my family privacy during this time.”
A representative for Dane confirmed his death at the age of 53 in February 2026.
Keep scrolling to see more celebrities battling ALS.
Eric Dane
Dane, known for playing Mark Sloan in the film Grey’s Anatomy and Carl Jacobs Euphoriarevealed his diagnosis in April 2025, at the age of 52. He died less than a year later, in February 2026.
Stephen Hawking
Hawking suffered from a slowly progressive form of ALS that kept him alive for decades before his death in 2018 at age 76. During that time, he continued his work as a theoretical physicist and became a role model for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
“Riverdale,” “Glee” and many more TV shows have faced the difficult task of writing characters after their actors died. Thank you! You have successfully subscribed. To subscribe to the newsletter please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from US Weekly Deals (…)
Brooke Eby
After her diagnosis in 2022, Eby launched a social media account to document her experience and quickly became a major influencer in the ALS community. As of April 2025, she has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram, which she uses to update fans on the progress of the disease. She lost the use of her legs and was confined to a wheelchair, and the function of her arms began to slow.
catfish hunter
Hunter, a Hall of Fame pitcher known as baseball’s first free agent, was diagnosed with ALS in 1997. He died two years later at the age of 53.
John Driskell Hopkins
Founding member of zac brown band is Diagnosed with ALS in 2021 And in May 2022, he revealed his diagnosis. As of April 2025, he continued to play music, telling CBS in 2024, “I’m going to sing through it.” He also founded the organization “Hop on a Cure” to raise funds for ALS research.
Sarah Lance
The popular sports journalist began experiencing symptoms in 2019 and was officially diagnosed with ALS in 2021. Despite the diagnosis, she continued to work for MLB.com and ran three marathons while experiencing symptoms. Lance is now confined to a wheelchair, but Major League Baseball teams continue to honor her on Lou Gehrig Day, which is celebrated annually on June 2.
Aaron Lazar
The actor known for his roles wolf of wall street and J. Edgar It was announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with ALS two years earlier.
Pete Flatts
The former college baseball player rose to fame in 2014 when he helped popularize the Ice Bucket Challenge, which was designed to raise money for ALS research. He was diagnosed in 2012 and died in 2019 at the age of 34.
Stephen Hillenburg
Hillenburg, animator and voice actor, created spongebob He was diagnosed in 2017 and died a year later at the age of 57. 2020 movies The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run dedicated to him.
Roberta Fleck
The R&B singer and five-time Grammy Award winner retired in 2022 after ALS left her unable to continue singing. She is best known for her songs “The First Time I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” Fleck Died in February 2025 at the age of 88.
Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Jack Osbourne and many other celebrities have spoken publicly about treating multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. Applegate revealed in August 2021 that she had been diagnosed with the disease. “Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” the Married… With Children alum wrote via X (…)
Steve Gleason
Gleason was a safety for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2007. The football player received the diagnosis weeks before he and his wife learned they were expecting their first child, son Rivers. In 2019, he received the Congressional Gold Medal for his work raising ALS awareness, and the ESPYs awarded him the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2024.
Mike Porcaro
The bassist of rock band Toto quit the band in 2007 after muscle weakness made it difficult to continue playing. He went public with his diagnosis in 2010 and died in 2015 at the age of 59.
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024, including Shannen Doherty and Liam Payne. Us Weekly confirmed Doherty’s death on July 14. The Beverly Hills, 90210 star first battled breast cancer from 2015 to 2017 before announcing it had returned nearly three years later. In 2023, Doherty shared that her stage 4 breast cancer had spread to (…)
Kim Shattuck
Shattuck is the lead singer and guitarist of the punk rock band the Muffs. She continued to make music with the band until shortly before her death, and the Muffs released an album 16 days after her death in 2019 at the age of 56.
Kenneth Mitchell
The actor, best known for his starring role in the CBS series Jericho His diagnosis was revealed in February 2020. He continues to act, incorporating wheelchairs into his characters Star Trek: Discovery. Mitchell died in 2024 49 years old.
Joe Bossal
The Oakridge Boys member retired in January 2024 due to a neuromuscular disease and was not diagnosed with ALS until after his retirement. died in July of that year 76 years old.
