Patrick Dempsey is remembering his dear friend Eric Dane. The Grey's Anatomy star sadly lost his battle to ALS on Thursday, less than a year after his diagnosis. He was 53. Such a heartbreaking loss for so many. Patrick appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Friday, shortly after the death was announced. He opened up about the difficult passing of his former colleague and friend, saying: "Yeah, I just woke up this morning and I was very sad to read the news. It's hard to put into words. I feel really so sad for his children." Eric shared 15-year-old Billie and 14-year-old Georgia with his wife Rebecca Gayheart. While he'd been separated from Rebecca for years before his health issues, they called off their divorce the second he was diagnosed. Related: Eric Dane's Ex Details Fight With Insurance Company Amid His ALS Battle Patrick went on to reveal that he'd been in communication with the Euphoria star just days before he died, noting: "I was corresponding with him, we were texting, so I spoke to him about a week ago and some friends of ours went in to see him and he was really starting to lose his ability to speak. He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly." Oof. So, so sad. But while the last days were painful, Patrick wants to remember Eric for the "joy" he was to work with: "He was the funniest man - he was such a joy to work with and I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it." Eric joined Grey's in Season 2 and stayed until Season 9 as Dr. Mark Sloan - or McSteamy. McDreamy reflected: "He had a great sense of humor. He was easy to work with, we got along instantly. First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing, making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant." Hah! Despite both playing heartthrob doctors, the Bridget Jones's Baby star insisted there was "never really any competition" between them and they "hit it off" from the start: "There was just this wonderful mutual respect. He's wickedly intelligent and I'm always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people's lives and the real loss is for us who don't have them anymore." Patrick finished by praising Eric's activism work to raise awareness for ALS and the importance of using your voice for good: "He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days and it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it's our last day." Inspired, Patrick continued: "It's something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have... spend time with our families, do things that are the betterment of other people, to be of service, to be kind, to be loving, and these values with our leadership unfortunately that we're seeing around the world and certainly in America with this horrible, you know, corrupt government that is currently running America, we have to remember to treat our neighbors and our friends with the right values." Such a lovely and important reminder Eric is leaving us all with! He was going through the unimaginable, and fought incredibly hard and worked to improve the lives of others facing a similar battle up until the very end. Hear Patrick reflect on this loss (below): Our hearts go out to all those mourning his untimely and incredibly unfair death. May he rest in peace. [Image via ABC/Hulu & MEGA/WENN] The post Patrick Dempsey Spoke To <i>Grey's Anatomy</i> Co-Star Eric Dane Days Before He Died: 'His Life Was Deteriorating So Rapidly' appeared first on Perez Hilton.