From Lou Gehrig in 1939 to Eric Dane in 2025, celebrities have publicly dealt with what is now known as ALS for decades. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a terminal neurodegenerative disorder. The disease causes the individual to gradually lose control of their muscles, beginning gradually with muscle stiffness or twitches and evolving to completely eliminate their ability to eat and breathe. Since Gehrig's death in 1941, dozens of additional public figures battled the disease.