NEED TO KNOW
In the year following Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis, his ex Rebecca Gayheart stood by his side
Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018 but then requested to dismiss the petition in March 2025, a month before he went public with his diagnosis
Dane’s family shared that he died at 53 on Feb. 19 after a “courageous battle with ALS”
In the months leading up to Eric Dane’s death at 53 on Thursday, Feb. 19, the actor received unwavering support from his ex, Rebecca Gayheart, as he faced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
In a Dec. 29 essay for The Cut, titled “In Sickness and in Health,” Gayheart, 54, shared that both she and Dane were “weeping” when he called her from a doctor’s office in San Francisco to first tell her about his diagnosis after seeing a neurologist. (The Grey’s Anatomy star later went public with his diagnosis in April 2025.)
“It didn’t feel real because he was still okay,” she wrote. “I was here at home with my youngest daughter — my home, that I share with just the girls, since Eric and I separated in September 2017 — and I’d gone into my closet to take the call, trying to be private.”
“She was saying, ‘Mommy, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?'” she continued. “I tried telling her, ‘Honey, nothing. Everything’s fine,’ because I couldn’t process it. I didn’t know all the details like I do now, but I knew enough about ALS to know that there wasn’t a cure.”
Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and daughters Billie and Georgia in 2017
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Gayheart wrote that Dane’s symptoms had “started maybe a year prior.”
“When we would have a meal with the kids, he’d say things like, ‘Something’s wrong with my hand,'” she recalled. “He was struggling to use his chopsticks, dropping his food. That was when he started seeing doctors. He was initially diagnosed with a few other things, but he had this sinking feeling that it was something more serious.”
Dane met Gayheart in 2003, and the pair wed less than a year later in Las Vegas. They welcomed their first daughter, Billie, in 2010, and a second daughter, Georgia, in 2011. The Beverly Hills, 90210 actress filed for divorce in February 2018 but then requested to dismiss the petition in March 2025.
While both Dane and Gayheart have dated other people since their split, she said that they remained close, living only 12 minutes from each other’s homes. She added that they shared “a lot of meals together” and had “a lot of drop-by visits” with their children.
“He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am committed to facilitating that,” she wrote.
While Gayheart acknowledged that their dynamic is “confusing” for people, she said she always wants “the best for” Dane.
“It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people,” she wrote. “Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love.”
Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane in 2004 Chris Weeks/WireImage
In September, Gayheart told PEOPLE that she and her girls were taking Dane’s diagnosis “day by day.”
“We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love,” she said. “I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.”
In June, Dane also spoke about his tight bond with Gayheart, telling Good Morning America’s Diane Sawyer that they talk every day.
“We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” he said. “And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”
When he announced his ALS diagnosis with PEOPLE, Dane shared in a statement that he was “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
While announcing his death, Dane’s family said he died “following a courageous battle with ALS” and “spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” they continued. “He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
Read the original article on People