Is Grey's Anatomy Going to Kill Off McSteamy?

Leaked Photo Shows Eric Dane's Character Possibly on his Deathbed

Spoiler Alert? Last week, actor Eric Dane a.k.a. Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on Grey's Anatomy, announced he'd be leaving the ABC series this season, the show's ninth. And yesterday, his co-star and pal Patrick Dempsey gave fans a clue as to how Dane's character may make his exit. Hint: in a coffin.

Dempsey tweeted a photo of Dane lying in a hospital bed, the outcome not looking good. As viewers will recall, season eight ended with many of the major characters going down in a plane crash. Dr. Sloan's love interest, Dr. Lexie Grey, didn't make it. Now it appears neither may Sloan.

The photo was taken down shortly after Dempsey posted it, reportedly at the request of ABC.

READ: Katherine Heigl Wants Back on Grey's Anatomy

Fear not, though, Dane fans. It sounds like he'll still get plenty of screen time before his eventual departure. Discussing how the crash will affect the plot of the new season, executive producer Shonda Rimes says, "When we start the season, we are ahead enough in time where we see the outcome of lots of things. And in the second episode of the season, there's rewind - we go backwards - to where they're still in the forest. So you see what happened and in the next episode, you see how we get there."

She also says she has no doubt that Dane will continue to make women weak on both TV and in film. "I wish him the best," says Rimes. "I look forward to watching him as he continues to steam up the big and small screen."