Rebecca Gayheart was the first person Eric Dane reached out to after his ALS diagnosis. Following his death from the disease on February 19 at age 53, Gayheart looked back on the difficult experience, describing it as “truly an exhausting and heartbreaking experience.”
Rebecca Gayheart recalls retreating to a closet after learning of Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis
Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in 2018 after 14 years of marriage. The two, who got married in October 2004, later moved into separate homes and began seeing other people. Still, they maintained a close bond while raising their daughters, Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14. In March 2025, Gayheart requested the dismissal of her divorce petition.
My Book of Days, a memoir Dane wrote before his death, is set to be released on November 3. Gayheart told People that the Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star initially had reservations about writing the book and opening up about his addiction struggles. She is now “grateful he did, because it gives my girls the opportunity to know their dad as a human being.”
Dane wanted to make the most of the time he had with his daughters. He kept his promise by filling their days with sushi lunches, movie marathons, vinyl records playing in the background, and fun-filled game nights. “We tried to be present through all of our fear and frustration and uncertainty. It was truly an exhausting and heartbreaking experience, but it also showed us his extraordinary strength every day, and that was really wonderful for the girls and myself to witness,” said Gayheart.
Dane recalled telling his estranged wife in 2024, “It’s what we feared.” He admitted that he didn’t “remember a single word” he said after that moment. “I remember only feeling a violent impact, like getting the wind knocked out of me,” he added. Dane recalled the emotional phone call, remembering Gayheart “wailing” as he struggled to control his own “body-shudder[ing]” sobs.
Gayheart eventually comforted Dane, assuring him, “I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere,” he wrote. The Beverly Hills star has now offered her own account of the heartfelt exchange to the outlet. “I went into my closet and closed the door,” Gayheart recalled. She said Dane’s words felt like a “punch to the gut” and “took [her] breath away.” At the time, she and Dane were living separately.
