United Kingdom, Feb. 26 -- Patrick Dempsey believes the late Eric Dane would have been "so happy to know" how much he meant to people.

The 60-year-old actor's Grey's Anatomy co-star passed away last week, 10 months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with negenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Patrick thinks his pal would have been touched by the public outpouring of support for his family in the wake of his death.

Speaking to News Talk FM, Patrick said: "It's very hard when you lose a family member. I lost my father very young, and my mother has passed.

"And now several friends in the last year I've lost.

"Eric was so beloved, and I think he would really be so happy to know - and I know a lot of people reac...