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\t\t<\/p>\n Katherine Heigl<\/strong><\/a> has issued a statement mourning the loss of Eric Dane<\/strong><\/a>, her former Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em><\/strong> co-star.<\/p>\n During the early years of the show, Katherine <\/strong>portrayed Izzy Stephens, while Eric <\/strong>portrayed Mark Sloan aka McSteamy.<\/p>\n If you did not see the news, the beloved actor passed away on February 19 at the age of 53<\/a> following a battle with ALS. <\/p>\n In her post, Katherine <\/strong>explained why she hesitated about posting anything, as she does not usually grieve publicly. However, she couldn\u2019t stay silent on this particular passing.<\/p>\n Keep reading to find out more\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n She wrote<\/a>, \u201cI debated this post for days. I have never been comfortable grieving publicly. I share my tears, my stories and my memories with those I\u2019m closest to and more times than not I share them only with the heavens alone. But that silence can often look like a lack of care which I could not abide here.\u201d <\/p>\n She then added a message to Rebecca<\/strong><\/a>, his wife, and their two daughters<\/a>: \u201cRebecca, Billie, Georgia\u2026 There is so little, if in fact anything, one can say about a tragic loss like yours. All the \u2018I\u2019m sorries\u2019 and \u2018my prayers are with you\u2019 ring a bit hollow in the midst of so much pain and grief. So I will say the only thing that has ever brought me peace when I\u2019ve lost someone I love. It is Robert Frost\u2019s poem \u2018Nothing Gold Can Stay\u2019 of which I have tattooed on my body in my parent\u2019s handwriting so I will never forget that the moment of gold was worth it.\u201d <\/p>\n She then shared a quote from the poem: \u201cNatures first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf\u2019s a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so Dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.\u201d <\/p>\n Katherine <\/strong>concluded with, \u201cI will never forget Eric\u2019s gold and I will forever be grateful I got to bask in it for even a brief moment in time. Thank you for sharing him with us. God Speed my old friend\u2026here\u2019s to your next great adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n