Patrick Dempsey talks Eric Dane's 'heartbreaking' battle with ALS

Patrick Dempsey is giving "Grey's Anatomy" fans an update on his onetime costar Eric Dane amid his battle with ALS.

Dane and Dempsey played McSteamy and McDreamy, respectively, on the wildly popular medical series from writer Shonda Rhimes.

"I spoke to him a few weeks ago," Dempsey, 60, told Parade in a new interview, adding that he was trying to get him a spot on his new television show, "Memory of a Killer." The series, which premiered Jan. 25 on Fox, stars Dempsey as a hitman for hire.

"I've been texting with him," he told the outlet. " We were trying to get him in ['Killer'], but unfortunately, the progression of his disease made it virtually impossible. But I was happy to see that he was here in Toronto working on, I think, another medical drama."

Dane made a guest appearance on "Brilliant Minds" in November, playing a firefighter also suffering from ALS. The illness, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, "causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain," according to Johns Hopkins. There is currently no cure.

"I have never seen this happen in my entire career, but he essentially got a 10-minute standing ovation after shooting that scene, because it was so beautiful and so honest and so real," series creator Michael Grassi told USA TODAY at the time.

"It's very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he's doing," the "Grey's" actor said. "I think he's been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease. He's such a wonderful human being. 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. It really is," Dempsey continued. "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."

Since revealing his diagnosis in April, Dane has sought to bring attention to the disorder. In June, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a hearing on plans by several health insurance companies to simplify and reduce the prior authorization system.

Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY