The actor shared his diagnosis with the world in an interview with CNN alongside his fiancée, Erica Tazel
Actor Russell Andrews has shared some heartbreaking news with the world: He’s been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. The news comes just three months after Andrews’s Grey’s Anatomy co-star, Eric Dane, died from the disease.
On May 16, Andrews—who guest-starred as Hugh Davis on Season 10 of the medical drama and is also known for his roles in Better Call Saul and Straight Outta Compton—was interviewed on CNN’s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson when he shared his diagnosis with the world.
“I am a person living with ALS,” he said during the interview.
Andrews, 64, was diagnosed in the fall of 2025.
“It’s been humbling, but there’s … Elex, there’s also something in the fact that I walked into a family of very caring people I did not know a year ago—the cliché family, but they have not let us miss a step in terms of care, the attention, the awareness and the ability to get me here today,” Andrews said.
He went on to talk about the first symptoms he noticed, admitting that he thought he may have suffered a stroke.
“I was not able to do things that I normally do. I was dropping cups and glasses at night. It felt like things were running up and down my arm at different times and it was the nerves,” he explained.
The actor’s fiancée, Erica Tazel, who joined him during the interview, said that she also noticed some things that made her think “something is definitely wrong.”
Tazel spoke candidly of the day that Andrews learned of his diagnosis. She recalled feeling a sense of relief because they finally had answers. At the same time, she made sure that Andrews knew she was going to stay by his side despite his health issues.
“I looked at him across the room and I said, ‘At least now we know what it is, and I still want to be your wife,’” Tazel recalled. She has since stepped into the role of caretaker.
There is no cure for ALS, though treatment can help slow the progression of the disease. According to the ALS Association, the life expectancy from the time of diagnosis is about three years, though some patients can live longer. Dane, for example, started experiencing symptoms of the disease in 2023 and was officially diagnosed in 2024. He died about two years after his diagnosis.