Eric Dane wrote that Josh Duhamel grabbed his tie on three consecutive takes of a fight scene, despite a request not to because of his herniated cervical disc. The claim appears in his posthumously released memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.

Dane guest-starred in season two of the NBC series Las Vegas, which Duhamel headlined. He was trying to work through the neck injury and asked Duhamel to go easy while he recovered from it.

Warning Ignored on Set

Dane wrote that, before filming began, he asked Duhamel not to grab him by the tie, and Duhamel promised he would not. Once the director called action, Duhamel pulled the tie anyway and 'fire rips through my neck'.

Dane stopped the scene and grunted from the pain as Duhamel apologised. On take two, Duhamel pulled the tie again, prompting Dane to tell a producer to rein him in. Duhamel said he had got caught up in the moment.

On take three, Duhamel grabbed the tie once more. Dane then removed his suit jacket, balled his fists and approached Duhamel while the camera kept rolling, leaving him looking like the aggressor.

Dane later wrote that the pair have seen each other since and are on good terms, while adding that he was wrong and should have walked away. He also apologised to Duhamel in the book.

Separately, Duhamel has said he went to 'pretty extreme places in my head' to play Danny McCoy, a former Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He said people avoided him on the show, which scared others a little and scared himself too.

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Why a Herniated Disc Hurts

A herniated disc occurs when the soft inner material, called the nucleus pulposus, protrudes through a tear in the disc's tough outer layer, known as the annulus fibrosus. The cervical spine has six intervertebral discs.

Pain can occur when the herniated material irritates or compresses nearby nerve roots. Inflammation around the affected disc can also contribute to discomfort and radiating pain.

Symptoms Can Spread Beyond Neck

Pain can range from an ache in the neck, arm or hand to electric-like pain that radiates into those areas. Dane described the moment on set as fire ripping through his neck.

Symptoms can also include ongoing neck pain, headache, shoulder and upper back pain, muscle weakness and tingling or electric-shock sensations. Mayo Clinic said neck herniations typically cause the most pain in the shoulder and arm.

The pain may be sharp or burning and can worsen when a person laughs, coughs, sneezes or moves in a certain way. Calling a doctor is advised if pain spreads to the arm or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness.

Treatment and Recovery Outlook

Most cases of cervical herniated disc pain can be managed without the need for surgery. Options include over-the-counter pain medications, physical therapy, ice or heat packs and activity changes that avoid painful movements.

Symptoms typically resolve within four to six months, even though the disc itself may not heal. Most people do not need surgery, and symptoms usually get better over time.

Worsening numbness or weakness, or trouble with walking, coordination or bladder and bowel control, needs immediate medical attention. Prompt care helps prevent the problems from getting worse or becoming permanent.

Memoir Recounts Wider Health Battle

The book also traces Dane's health struggles. He wrote that he gradually lost use of his right hand, and doctors first diagnosed multifocal motor neuropathy, a rare autoimmune disorder, before reaching a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Dane announced the ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He died of ALS-related respiratory failure on 19 February 2026.

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